Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey Awry
by TheSirSystemError
Summary: The decisions we make in life shape not only our lives, but those around us. To reach one's lot in life requires the right choices. A poor choice can lead to ruin. But the truth isn't always cut-and-dried. When a young official who cast his lot meets someone who may be denied hers, he faces a dilemma. Accept it as right, or stand up for what he feels is right.
1. Chapter 1: Tragic Outcome

Author's Note: As the title of this may imply, this is an alternate history fanfic of Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey, a retelling of the core Johto games, written by my close friend known as SaoirseParisa here. As she can verify, this was created with her permission and input on scenes involving her original characters, stuff that might be important or affect her world's lore, and anything I was unsure about. I wrote this with intent to be accessible to both readers and nonreaders of the original work. Go read it if you haven't, it actually surprised me, and let doing this - even trying to match its tone to some extent - be a testament to how much I enjoy it. All characters from the fic belong to her, as does Pokemon as a whole belong to the relevant parties.

The Red Gyarados arc was an important one in the original fic, which led to a moment of growth for the main character. But a comment about how a part of it was handled got me thinking of how easily it could've gone wrong. And I've always found how MarJour treats law as an important (if rigid) aspect interesting. Some concepts and thinking later, I came up with a basic plot, which ultimately became the fic you're looking at today.

Originally started 2-3 months ago, rocketed through, slowed to a crawl for the longest time, and finally (essentially) finished in time for her birthday.

* * *

Chapter 1: Tragic Outcome

"Beedrill, X-Scissor!"

"Meet it with Slash!"

Two Pokemon were locked in battle in a forest on Route 44. One, a large bee-like creature with massive needles on its arms. The other, a small black and red bipedal creature with sharp implements for hands. A friendly challenge between two trainers. The bee rushed in ready to strike, only to be parried. A clang echoed as the two Pokemon's blades slammed together, each struggling to gain dominance over the other.

"Don't let yourself be beaten here!" the Beedrill's trainer yelled through gritted teeth. Her forceful urging prompted her Pokemon to put more effort into it, wings beating furiously. The girl was clad in a white tank top with well worn jeans sporting a hole in the right knee.

Her opponent simply let out a confident huff. He was in brown cargo shorts and had on short-sleeved black and green outerwear embroidered with a leaf pattern over top a plain white loose-fitting shirt. His opponent hadn't even been hiding how she wanted to end this quickly, but they weren't going down that easy. Abruptly he gave a simple command, "Go!" His Pawniard jumped up and pushed back all in one motion.

"Look out!" the girl screamed, just in time for her Beedrill to fly backwards, avoiding a follow-up Slash. She grasped at her hair, a light tone somewhere between brown and blonde.

The boy smirked, resting his chin on the back of his left hand. "Nice dodge." He hadn't been expecting himself to have whimsically suggest a battle to someone. He was just going sightseeing when he ran into this girl training in the woods. He knew nothing about her and vice versa, she didn't even give her name. But she agreed to his challenge. All for the better, as he'd been taught one of the best ways to get to know a trainer is in battle. And this was a battle he and his Pokemon were both enjoying. "You're pretty good."

"More than you know!" came the retort, as if she had been insulted. "Beedrill, Double Team!" Multiple copies of the bee appeared all over the battlefield.

"Hold," warned the boy, putting his hands out just as his Pawniard was looking to jump on the nearest copy. He knew they had to handle this carefully. They're just illusions, after all. The Sharp Blade Pokemon was restless, but obedient. He for his part watched closely. They just needed to wait for the right moment, and...

"X-Scissor!"

He caught the one that moved first. "There!" he shouted with a point, instantly setting his Pokemon into motion. "Psycho Cut!" Before the trainer could even think to react, the Pawniard started slashing prematurely, producing purple waves that crashed into the Bee Pokemon's form. To the young man and his bladed battler's surprise though, the bug continued to twitch after that vicious attack.

"Come on! Get up!" the light-haired girl borderline demanded. Her Beedrill dug a stinger into the ground, struggling to get upright. The boy raised a hand, and his Pawniard did wait. The black and red Pokemon restlessly began sharpening its blades against each other, awaiting the order while making the intent clear. On seeing this, the girl begged, "Please!" The Beedrill's antennae twitched. With this word, the Pokemon forced himself into the air, defiantly flapping his wings. The trainer cheered. "Yes!"

"Still want more?" The boy flashed a grin and flipped his chestnut-colored hair. This was getting good. "Your Beedrill must really like you to keep going at this point."

The girl rolled her blue eyes at that, doubting that notion. "If we let ourselves be beaten by some nobody like you, we don't have a hope of achieving our dream!"

"Pokemon League?"

"That's right."

"I figured." Should've been obvious. Who wouldn't expect the average traveling trainer to be on a journey to collect badges? He smirked with competitive intent. "But if you think I'm a nobody, then-"

And then a buzzing interrupted them. The boy reached into his pocket and retrieved a small earpiece. He peered at the display. It was indicating an emergency of some kind.

The girl looked at him, arching an eyebrow in disgust. "You're taking a call in the middle of a battle?"

"I know, right?" He didn't disagree, but hastily followed it up with, "It's only because it's important, but it'll just be a minute!" He tucked the radio around his right ear and placed it inside. He pressed a button on its side, tuning into the broadcast scanner. "Just need to see what it is..."

 _"...at the Lake of Rage. This is top-priority. All officials in the area are asked to get to the Lake of Rage immediately! I repeat-"_

He heard screaming and the crackle of flames in the background. Could there have been a Pokemon attack? He pressed another button, opening communications. "Everyone?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Everyone!" He winced. Just the reply didn't want to hear.

"Ugh, sorry. Have to cut our battle short," the boy said with unembellished frustration, removing and pocketing the earpiece. His Pawniard was in the middle of shooting him a dirty look while being recalled into the black and yellow ball. "Gotta get over to the Lake of Rage. There's been an incident of some kind..."

"You're a cop?" she asked with shock. A dozen thoughts swiftly flashed through her mind, but the one that ultimately rose out of her throat was, "But you look like you're my age!"

"I'm not a cop!" he insisted. "I'm...just an official of-sorts. But not an officer or anything!" He figured from this girl's tone she was anti-authority, and he didn't want that association anyway. The boy looked off into the distance, shaking his head. "I was only here on a trip, but..." He snapped up and quickly waved it off. "Oh, never mind."

The girl didn't allow him to notice her sigh of relief, quickly changing the subject to his dilemma. "Can't you just say no? Or you're in the middle of something?" Whenever she was busy with something, everything else could wait.

"A bit late for that, anyway. If I wanted to do that I should've just ignored it." Still there was a silver lining despite its poor timing. His instincts told him this was the sort of issue that interested him, and related to why he became an official in the first place. He placed his bag on the ground and reached into it. He brought out two wheeled pieces, snapping and connecting them together and placing the assembled device on the ground.

"Is that a skateboard?" the girl asked, with some bemusement.

"Well, they said to get there quickly. And this will get me there quickly." He stepped onto it, a simple plain black board with green wheels. "Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. If I see you again, we'll pick up where we left off!"

"I don't think we will..." the light-haired girl remarked under her breath, but he managed to hear her anyway.

He paused, then shrugged in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right." One of the disadvantages of traveling, meeting people who you might never meet again. And he was only here for three more days anyway. "Just in case, I'm Nori. What about you?"

The girl hesitated for a few moments, before deciding to relent. "Amara Ramsey."

With a satisfied nod, Nori slung his bag onto his back. "Later, Amara. Good luck on your dream!" And with this, he skated off.

* * *

Trees, shrubbery, and the odd building seemed a blur as Nori raced through Route 43. He had a really bad feeling about whatever this was. There were only a few things he could think of that could result in a call for all available officials to be sent out, and even fewer that could happen in a place like the Lake of Rage. He had sent out his Nidorina, who was racing alongside him.

There were suggestions as to the extent of the damage on the path to the lake. Most apparent were the multiple smoke plumes billowing out over the area. But he also passed by a number of shaken trainers and families along the way. Many probably very confused why someone was going in the opposite direction of everyone else on a skateboard, but Nori paid them only enough heed to not crash into them as he skated over to his destination. The same went for the wild Pokemon he passed by, who seemed uneasy and out of sorts. Any that looked to challenge him thought better of it when the Nidorina shot them a fierce glare.

In what felt like no time at all, the lake came into view. On a day like this it might have been filled with sparkling water, frolicking Pokemon, relaxing fishermen, and perhaps families getting in some R&R before winter could hit. But there were none of those things there at that moment. Just from where he was he could see flashing sirens and paramedics administering medical treatment to people and Pokemon. He was just about to make his way in, when someone stood in his way.

"Whoa there, young man! You can't go in here!" A stout officer whose uniform could barely contain him moved to obstruct entrance to the lake. Nori stepped off his skateboard, flipped, and picked it up as he approached anyway. "There's been a-"

The official cut him off by reaching into his jacket and flashing a silver ID card with bright orange trim. "Nori Carino, Pokemon rehabilitator."

"O-Oh. Sorry, Mr. Carino, sir!" The officer hastily apologized with a bow. Nori smirked. He ordinarily didn't like being called either of those, except in cases like this. That is, going from being disrespected to getting respected immediately after introducing himself. It was a bit weird to get such a flustered reaction though, so he couldn't help but have a bit of fun with it.

"What is your name?" he asked in his best military tone, barely stifling a giggle. His Nidorina huffed and rolled her eyes.

The large man saluted. "Officer Lars Bunston, sir! Station security, sir!"

That was worth it, but Nori thought from there to be a bit more serious. The situation must be serious if every official in the area was called over. "Tell me what happened, Bunston," the young official asked, before thinking better of it and raising a hand. "No, wait. Bring me wherever it happened and explain the situation along the way."

"Yes, sir!" The stout officer looked over to one of his fellows as Nori began disassembling his skateboard. "Hey, watch the entrance! A Pokemon rehabilitator asked me to show him what happened!" A red-haired female officer nodded and took up his post. "You ready to go, Mr. Carino?"

Okay, that was quickly getting old, but he also figured nothing he could say could stop this officer from addressing him that way. So he resigned himself to it. "Sure," he replied, placing the board back in his bag. "Let's move." He motioned for his Nidorina to follow and they were off.

As they walked a path counterclockwise around the lake, Nori took in his surroundings. The shining sun defied the atmosphere here. Various emergency vehicles were scattered around the area, including a pair of police bikes. People were receiving medical treatment, getting queried by law enforcement, or getting comfort from either them or their friends and family. In particular near the shore, he spotted two paramedics loading a man onto a stretcher. The man groaned in pain as he was lifted, a friend giving him words of encouragement, as he was carted into the back of an ambulance. "So just what exactly caused all this?" the young man asked. "What happened?"

"Well sir, truth be told I don't know much," Bunston confessed, upon which Nori slapped a palm onto his forehead. Was this guy for real? "But I can tell you what I do know! And I lead you to someone who can tell you everything!"

"Fine, fine," Nori grumbled. He looked away and what he saw made him wish he hadn't. A red tarp covering a person, aside from their feet which had a tag attached to a toe. Beside it was a despondent Growlithe, its face drooping as it lay beside. "Well, what DO you know?" he quickly spoke, hoping to take his mind off that downer of a sight.

"Apparently this was caused by a rampaging Gyarados. One that got released here by a trainer a while ago."

"Releasing a dangerous Pokemon out into the wild?" You didn't see that charge often. After all, how could you know who a Pokemon's trainer had been once it was released? But it was a part of trainer law, despite being not widely known. He hadn't even known himself until he had to study it.

"Right," confirmed Bunston. "Last I heard there's been two confirmed fatalities, and several others injured or missing."

"So-"

"Out of my way, out of my way!" came a high-pitched cry from behind Nori.

He stepped out of the way to allow passage to an anguished young girl with disheveled purple hair, who couldn't have been older than ten or eleven. She had on a simple shirt and jeans that seemed they were thrown on in a rush. The girl raced through on a pink bike as the redheaded policewoman from before followed in vain pursuit. The girl came skidding to a stop in front of a burned patch of land. Could there have once been a house there? The only hint of it was a bald fisherman in a blue vest and white pants, sobbing violently as he stared at the wreckage, a firefighter in full unform rubbing his back.

"Shantell? Shantell?!" the girl shouted, voice full of concern and fear. "Tell me you're okay!"

The man slowly turned to face her. "Andy..." He attempted to rub the tears from his face, but they were quickly replaced. "Andy, I...gah!" The fisherman dropped to the ground, pounding a fist into the earth and letting out a particularly vulgar curse. "Shantell...she didn't make it out!"

The girl backed up in disbelief, shaking her head. Nori grunted, bowing in brief respect. He could see a mixture of emotions on that girl's face over the loss of her friend, ranging from disbelief at what was happening to an emptiness. And from how her hands clenched slightly, he able to tell there was a certain wrath blossoming in her. His Pokemon neutrally stood on watching.

"I've met that man," remarked Bunston, standing beside Nori. "He built his living here. Often came to sell fish in Mahogany. Now it's all gone because of what happened." A yellowish car suddenly pulled up, a woman a blue business suit getting out of it and consoling the girl, who was burying her face in her hands. "Come on," urged the stout officer. "Let's keep moving."

Nori could only follow along silently. This was just too screwed up. While the Lake of Rage is known to have a lot of Gyarados living in it - leading to its alternate name of Gyarados Lake - they surprisingly aren't normally this violent. The closest incidents he's heard of could all be classified as a wild Pokemon attack, or occurred closer to Mahogany Town by ones that wandered too close. But today, one did rampage here. People lost their lives here today. Others had theirs changed forever. Just what could've happened to cause all this? It had to have been something huge, no doubt.

The walk to their destination continued on for its remaining three minutes in silence. By that time they reached the eastern side of the lake. "Well, here we are." Officer Bunston said, with a gesture made as if he were pointing out a perpetrator. Here was the one responsible, lying unmoving on its side upon the shore. Its eyes were shut, and its mouth was open as if it had been screaming in its final moments. "The Gyarados that caused all this."

Nori's mouth hung agape in shock. " _This_ Gyarados?" He'd heard something about an unusual-looking Gyarados who was being held captive at a Team Rocket base near Mahogany Town. This one would have to be it, its scales as crimson as falling leaves. He even heard that when it got loose during a police raid, the local Gym Leader himself was forced to subdue it. And now here it was back in the wild, with its life cut short. He didn't want to imagine what had been going through its mind. He approached the fallen beast solemnly, placing a shaking hand on its head. Its body cold to the touch, which he hardly felt or cared as he closed his eyes. "You must...have been through a lot," he whispered to it. "And now it's led to this. I can...I hope you can rest in peace..."

He remained silent for several moments before his Nidorina nudged his leg, bringing him back to reality. The light blue Pokemon looked fairly uncomfortable, an expression that surprised her trainer. She pointed to his belt, and he got the message easily enough. "Oh, okay. You don't have to be out anymore." She nodded. This Nidorina could handle a lot of things, but being before a Pokemon that had to be violently put down was not one of them. Nori returned her to her Poke Ball.

"Are you finished, Mr. Carino?" Bunston asked, approaching Nori.

"Yes," he said with a subtle nod, not even looking at the stout policeman. He gazed off across the lake, where he spotted a pair of Gyarados and a number of Magikarp watching from a distance, no doubt mourning their fallen friend. He gave them a somewhat more perceptible nod before turning back. "Let's..." He took a deep breath and summoned his nerve. He was sure the details would be gruesome, infuriating, or both, but he felt he had to hear them. "Take me there."

Bunston gestured a short distance away. A female officer with blue twintails was interviewing a witness, a short dark-haired girl who looked to be about sixteen years of age. Given the state of her black hair and how she was wrapped in a towel, Nori supposed she had been splashed or even sprayed with water. Fortunately, it looked to him like she'd suffered no serious injuries.

"Thank you for your time," the policewoman said, patting the girl on the shoulder. "You've been a huge help to us."

"Y-y-y-you're w-w-wel-welcome," she replied, voice and body quivering. Not just from being cold, either. Nori frowned. Maybe he was wrong about her being unscathed from this. As she sauntered off, the stout officer marched forth and gave his superior a salute in greeting.

"Officer Bunston. Who's this?"

"Officer Jenny, this is Mr. Carino," the large officer introduced with pride. "He's a Pokemon rehabilitator and wants to know about the incident."

"A Pokemon rehabilitator?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. She studied Nori carefully, coming to the conclusion that he didn't look anything like an official. He barely looked thirteen for crying out loud. "I haven't heard of that before. Which department do you work with?"

Nori grumbled and reached into his pocket, retrieving his earpiece. He couldn't count the number of times something like this happened. "Is hearing the request to come on this thing not good enough for you?" he asked, figuring this was the quickest way to prove his status. Only emergency service workers, certain government workers, certain high-level trainers, and those given special privileges by governing bodies were granted one of those. "And before you ask, it does belong to me." To prove it wasn't stolen either, he pressed a button and it displayed "N CARINO SPRT-01" on the LCD display. He placed a hand on his pocket, ready to pull out his ID too if need be.

Officer Jenny blinked. She wasn't expecting this kind of reaction out of this young man, to say the least. "It's okay," she reassured him apologetically. He wasn't hiding how on-edge he was at the moment. "You can relax. I just wanted you to confirm your identity."

Nori deflated with a sigh. "Sorry. I get it." That was almost reflexive from him. The police certainly would not want a civilian to squirm their way into being told sensitive police information. And in spite of his position, he hardly looked the part of the official. Even if he were to dress the part, the age would still cast doubts. "But now that I have, can you tell me what happened here? Since it relates to my field. I want to know what led to this all."

"Well, I don't see the harm in letting you know," she said. "From what witnesses have told us, this all started at around 11:35am this morning. There was a trainer described to be of above average height and medium build who saw this red Gyarados and attempted to capture it. Some people stated that he declared he was going to capture a shiny Pokemon shortly before doing so."

"Oh jeez," Nori rasped. "One of those types."

"He began attacking it with his Magneton, and later on his Qwilfish as well. It was shortly after this that the red Gyarados started attacking everything in sight. Bystanders, and even other Gyarados attempted to subdue it, but only caused it to get more violent." Nori sighed. A good thing to try and do in-theory, but since they hadn't succeeded, it only made things worse. "A few called Pokemon Control, and after that..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to finish that thought.

So that's what happened. An arrogant jerk and a terrified wild Pokemon, all leading to a tragic outcome. But at the moment, Nori just wanted to know one thing. "So where is he? The guy who did this? Where is the sack of crap who made it go on a rampage?" Officer Jenny's response was to look down at the ground sadly. "Oh. I see..." The Pokemon rehabiliator lowered his head in sympathy. Even for someone attempting to capture a Pokemon out of greed, that fate was a bit much for Nori's tastes. After a few seconds, he looked up and asked, "What about the one who released it here?"

Officer Jenny shook her head. "We've been looking, but we haven't picked them up yet."

Nori huffed, glancing just briefly in the Gyarados' direction to indicate he was about to refer to it. It was hard for him to look at. "Poor thing. It didn't deserve this after all it's been through."

"You know about what happened?"

"A bit, yes." Besides the news reports, he had heard some chatter over the scanner. "I know this Gyarados was originally taken from the lake by Team Rocket and held in their Mahogany hideout. There was some 'civilian involvement' during the raid there. And I guess whoever rescued it brought it back here."

Jenny looked about, before leaning in closer. "It's more than that," she explained in a hushed tone. They didn't want the general public to know about the full extent of the matter yet, to prevent any panic. "They were broadcasting a signal to force Pokemon to evolve. That Gyarados was proof of its success. Their scientists were performing all sorts of tests and experiments on it in their base on Route 44, before we went in and shut it down like their Mahogany hideout."

"What the-!?" He'd heard some pretty crazy things before, but using radio waves to make Pokemon evolve was in the top three. "That is pretty ridiculous. Besides, I don't get it. A Pokemon that evolves too soon can run into...well, problems." He paused for a beat but quickly clarified. "Um, I mean power-wise, not...but in this case, maybe other kinds of problems too." But in regards to power, he figured it might be like evolving a Pokemon with an evolutionary stone. Sure, it'd get a boost in power, but it becomes much more difficult for it to learn moves. But a more pressing issue came to mind, "And just because they evolved them doesn't mean they'll be loyal to Team Rocket at all."

"It's hard to know what their motivations are," admitted Jenny. Even the police force had trouble dealing with the Rockets. There had been several instances where civilians getting involved had made a difference, which is why it wasn't that frowned upon legally. "We managed to arrest a fair number of their numbers there. But their top executives and many others escaped."

"Seems crime always finds a way to slip through the cracks." That's just how it was. Wherever you went in the world, you were bound to run into some form of it. From street hoodlums to organized groups, and the latter always found a way to persist. Even the very organization in question was thought gone for a while, yet it had risen from the grave. Nori chuckled. "That raid must've been crazy."

"I was part of that raid, actually. I just finished writing up paperwork on it yesterday," She grumbled thinking about it. There was something she wanted to vent about, but hadn't gotten a chance to because of this suddenly happening. "I was just told a few hours ago I have to resubmit it because I made a small typo in one place. I misspelled Exeggutor."

"Freaking pencil pushers, man," Nori openly belittled with a pish-posh handwave, earning a chuckle from Jenny. "Something improper or not to their liking, like a typo like that or a capitalization thing, and they scream at you. It's like they can't focus on anything else."

"You've put up with it before, too?" she asked.

"Thankfully, no." But he had heard the horror stories. "I'm really glad I don't have to fill out any paperwork in my position," he said with a small chuckle. "All I need to do is report in by phone every month. I don't know if I'd be able to handle it if I had to fill out forms all the time."

"Speaking of which, I never heard of your position before." She had been wondering, and the conversation had drifted in its direction. "I assume it's similar to therapists and careworkers in the industry?" He nodded to confirm this. "I thought so. You're very young to be an official as well. What's your story, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Me? Well, that's a long story. The short of it is-"

Nori was interrupted by Officer Bunston, who came over bounding over with glee. "We got'em! We caught'em!"

Nori glanced over. "You got who?"

"The one who did this!" the stout officer declared with a grin. It gave him great pleasure to be able to break this news to people, and he was unafraid to show it. "The one who released this monster back into the wild!"

The young official had been so caught up in his conversation with the blue haired officer, he'd momentarily forgot the severity of the situation at hand. It all came rushing back to him at that moment. "You did?" His interest in this overrode his urge to call out the officer for referring to this Gyarados as a monster. It was just as much a victim in this as anyone else.

"We did, sir!" confirmed Bunston, giving him a bigger grin and two thumbs up. "They're being held at the main station in Mahogany right now!"

"All right." Nori knew exactly what he had to do at that point. He placed his bag on the ground, retrieving the halves of his board. He assembled the halves together and held it vertically.

"A skateboard?" queried Officer Jenny. This was not something she'd expected to see from someone named as an official at all. "Why?"

"Hey, some people use bikes. Some people use roller skates. I heard in some regions they even ride Tauros to get around..." Nori let the board fall to the ground and placed a foot on it. With a smirk, he asked, "I use a skateboard. Is there something wrong with that?"

Bunston waved his hands. "N-No. Not at all, Mr. Carino, sir..."

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" asked Officer Jenny.

He looked over his shoulder as he placed his bag back on. "I'm going to give this person a piece of my mind!"

And with this proclamation, Nori skated off to the south. Whoever this person was, they were responsible for everything here today. He had no idea what could have been going through their mind at the time. Releasing an unstable Gyarados who had been through countless cruel experiments just screamed of being a bad idea. None of these people had to die, nor did the Gyarados have to die. This was the exact thing he became a Pokemon rehabilitator to prevent. It was all this person's fault, and he had to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

And so the first part of this comes to an end. I actually wrote most of this one in like a day after my inspiration struck, but tweaked it quite a bit over time - most notably the first scene (which I could write like a full page of notes on) and adding a bit more to Jenny and Nori casually talking with each other. A lot went into the concepts behind Nori's creation, but one relevant one I'll say for now was creating a character who could be in-between the adult and young persons' worlds and be in an interesting spot in-universe.

An interesting fact: I actually originally conceived Nori using a bike. After all, the main series games have folding bicycles that can fit in a bag. However, after remembering the nature of the source fic's world and how laws are handled in it - you know, a big part of the inspiration for this fic - I figured a skateboard might work better and able to better fit into a grey area on any helmet laws. And if folding bikes exist in Pokemon, why not skateboards you can disassemble?

Nori's party:

Nidorina (Female, Sassy Nature)  
Ability: Hustle  
Attacks: Take Down, Double Kick, Crunch, Poison Jab

Pawniard (Male, Naughty Nature)  
Ability: Defiant  
Attacks: Fury Cutter, Metal Claw, Slash, Psycho Cut


	2. Chapter 2: The Various Meanings of Right

Chapter 2: Those Who are in the Right, Those Who Think They are Right, and Those Who Do What is Right

The Mahogany Town Police Headquarters was a large building tucked away near the north side of town. For what it was, the exterior did have a friendly, inviting appearance. They always did their best to ensure it was well-maintained. There were almost no weeds to be found on the well-cut grass. Despite how the many trees were shedding their leaves as the season progressed, they were being cleaned up as quickly as they fell. And like many of the important buildings, the color of the roof matched the name of the town. Nori mused this as he walked through the courtyard of stone bricks leading towards the building. What was with regions like this one doing that, anyway?

The interior was more subdued than the exterior. Plain hallways and beige patterned flooring throughout. The opening lobby had several metal chairs around-not exactly the most comfortable thing for guests to sit on. The only decorations were a gaudy display cabinet that held all sorts of trophies and awards, alongside a painting or two on the walls.

Intending to quickly get to business, Nori approached the receptionist. She wore a bright-blue uniform and round glasses, her auburn hair tied into a neat ponytail. "Hello! How can I help you?" she greeted.

"Hi, I'm a Pokemon rehabiliator," Nori introduced, flashing his official's identification card. "Nori Carino. I'm here about the Lake of Rage incident. Do you happen to know where the suspect's being held?"

"Sure do," the receptionist pointed to a hallway. "She's being held three doors away on your left. You'll know it when you see it!"

"Thanks." He waved, rigidly but swiftly marching down the hall. He quickly arrived at his destination. It was clearly labeled with a huge blue sign with white text reading 'questioning' in big bold letters, making it easy to find even without clear directions.

He pushed his way in to find a well-lit stretching room. There were four different doors along one side of it, labeled with the first four letters of the alphabet, with a fifth door was on the opposite side of this long room. There were several desks lined up along the side opposite the doors to the interrogation rooms, as well as a sixth door near the middle. There were about six officers on duty here, all but one standing around chatting.

Said individual was sitting at a desk, standing immediately as Nori entered. A tall balding man whose remaining hair was scraggly and a graying black. "Who are you?" he asked, narrowed slate toned eyes saying he would not accept nonsense. He was wearing a uniform notably darker other officer Nori had seen - it was mostly black with some gray sections, with two narrow stripes on the outsides of the legs and at the front of the shirt section. A black overcoat was hanging on the back of his chair. Besides a polished gold badge, he also wore a necklace: a jagged gold crescent with a wide V going through it.

"I'm Nori Carino," he introduced himself, again pulling out his ID card in sync with his words. "I'm a Pokemon rehabilitator. I'm here because of the Lake of Rage incident."

"Oh, you're that kid who got hired as a special operative. You're here on your vacation, I take it?" Nori almost dropped his card, too stunned by that to reply. This man actually knew about him?! "Let me welcome you to our station, Mr. Carino. Frederick Holle, juvenile investigative services." He extended his hand to Nori. "I'm in charge of this case."

"Uhh...good to meet you!" Nori exclaimed, hastily stuffing his ID card back in his wallet before accepting. "How's the case going? I heard you caught the one who did it?"

"That's correct. She's in Room B here at the moment." He pointed to the room in question before crossing his arms and shaking his head. "We've been trying to get information out of her, but she's being uncooperative." Something he was used to, but was never any less annoying when it happened. "My subordinates have not been having any luck in speaking with her."

"May I go in?" Nori asked, not concealing his contempt or intentions. "I want to see this person for myself, and help out if I can."

The detective thought about this. "It is a bit unusual, but I suppose it is technically within your jurisdiction," he said. After some further consideration, he concluded that any help would be welcome. "Very well. You have my approval."

With silent acknowledgement, Nori marched towards and flung the door to the interrogation room open, stopping just short of slamming it against the wall. It was small and confined, barely eight by eight meters if that, with only a single fluorescent light illuminating it. There was a table and two folding chairs on either side. A lanky male officer with a bushy black mustache was standing beside, and a female officer with frizzy red hair was sitting across from who he identified as the perpetrator. A girl who couldn't have been more than twelve years old, if that. Her dark brown hair was a disheveled mess. A river of tears was flowing from her emerald-tinted irises as they and the officers turned to look at him.

"Okay, what's going on?! What happened?"

The young girl's hands flew to her ears as he began shouting. "Hey!" the female officer scolded. "Keep your voice down, please. This girl is autistic, and-"

Nori did not miss a beat in his reply, "I don't care if she is, she still screwed up good!" Word of her condition registered to him, but he held absolutely no bias. It didn't change what happened or put things in a different perspective as far as he was concerned.

The male took a few steps towards Nori. "What do you think you're doing, kid? You're interrupting our questioning."

"I got permission from Detective Holle, so it's okay." He followed this up with a bold declaration and point that made the girl curl up, rocking back and forth on the chair she was on. "I have the position and authorization. So I'll give you a hand!"

The two officers stared as if he were some lunatic who had just waltzed into the room. It was at this point that the detective stepped in behind him. "Mr. Carino. We don't mind you taking part in the questioning," he warned. "However, you need to consider the situation. Your actions and tone are not helping. Nothing of what you're doing is proper protocol. If you're not going to conduct yourself in a professional manner, we're going to have to ask you to leave."

Nori winced. He slowed down and thought about this, lest he make the situation worse for himself. Maybe he was in the wrong? Certainly partially. He could've controlled himself better there. But he knew he had a point with all this. He wasn't sure what the reaction to defiance would be, but he forced himself to shake his head. "From what you told me, you haven't been making much progress with your protocol." There were a couple audible gasps at this ruthlessly blunt remark, including from the girl. Before anyone could respond, Nori took a deep breath, letting it out with a huff. "Look," he spoke, fully composing himself. "I want to help. I just want to know what in the world happened here. I know you do too. And I mean, you have two options. Wait until she's ready to talk, or try another approach." He stood tall, pointing at himself. "I'll be that other approach for you."

Silence. Nori wasn't sure if it was from still being stunned from his remark about their efficiency, or from them processing his speech. To be sure, and to make it known how he felt, he punctuated it with a sincere, "Please. Let me try."

The officers still remained silent for several moments after that. Detective Holle gestured to the two police officers, briefly whispering some words to them. The three turned and stood in a row, the detective speaking.

"While I don't really care for how you put it, you have raised a point. And it seems your intent is true." The three gave a nod of approval in unison. "So we'll give you this chance, Mr. Carino."

"Thank you." Nori was truly grateful for the opportunity. Here he had the chance to figure this out, and to do it on his own. There was just one thing that he needed to do. "One more thing, though. Could you let us be? I think it'll be better if it's just me and her in here."

"Very well," Detective Holle agreed. Nori blinked. He didn't think they would go along with that, let alone so easily. He was expecting to have to ask them to just sit back and watch as a compromise. His question as to why was quickly answered as the detective narrowed his eyes, giving the young man a stern warning, "Just know this room is being monitored."

"I know. Do you really think I'd do anything?" He felt insulted by the notion of them thinking he'd be stupid enough to do anything bad in their absence, but to his credit he kept his tone as impartial as he could, even if it didn't completely conceal his irritation.

The detective chuckled. This young man was a lot of things, but it seemed foolish was not one of them. "I suppose not. We'll leave it to you, then." With that, he left the room with the two officers, closing the door behind them. As they left, Nori briefly looked over to the seated person. The person he had came here to see, and the one who had released that Gyarados into the lake. The one who caused this all.

He started pacing as he figured out how to begin, the young girl watching him the whole time in fear quivered her eyes and lips. This guy was very upset and clearly felt very strongly about this, but oddly enough he wasn't directing his anger her way. Not just yet, as she worried. It was probably only a matter of time before he started yelling at her again.

It was because of this thought that it was very surprising to her that he instead made a casual remark, "So I gotta say, I wasn't expecting the one who caught and released that Gyarados to be a girl your age." Nori was trying to figure out the best way to open conversation. He was trying to be mindful of the fact that this was a scared and confused girl he was speaking to. He hadn't done this before, yet realized what he said probably wasn't ideal. Maybe. Well, he said it. So he continued along with, "Then again, you probably weren't expecting someone as young as me to be here, either."

A bit to his surprise, the girl actually responded. She had been wondering that ever since he came into the room. "You're my sister's age..." she meekly replied.

He didn't let her see his sigh of relief at that working. Well, as long as they were on the subject, he figured he may as well keep going with it. "You have a sister?" Nori asked, continuing the small talk. Any response is better than none at all. "You must be lucky to have one. I'm an only child."

Her sister. She had been put on the trainer's blacklist a few years ago for abusing her Pokemon. That meant she was unable to legally own Pokemon. It was earlier this year that her sister had stolen a Pokemon from Professor Elm's lab and ran away from home. She herself had initially gone on her journey to find her and bring her in, to make her own up to her crimes. To the thefts, to the assaults, to evading arrest, and to any others that she wondered if her sister had committed. But not once did she ever imagine she would be the one to find herself in this position.

Noticing the girl's uncomfortable silence, Nori chimed in. "Family problems? Well, it's fine. I won't ask." He could tell just from her range of expressions that was a subject better left untouched. What to ask this girl now, though? Wait, that's right. "But, I guess I should ask your name?" He ruffled his hair. "It'd be better if I knew, so you're not just 'that girl' or whatever..."

She could understand that. Her parents would sometimes even yell at her for calling someone things to that effect. "Julia. Julia Parisa." She looked at him expectantly.

"I'm Nori. You've already heard my last name."

The two were quiet for a bit after this. So far so good, Nori thought, but where to go from here? It was actually Julia who broke the silence, "So, are you a police officer?" Her curiosity overriding her worries.

"I'm not an officer. But I am an official." Nori explained. "I can technically conduct investigations if they pertain to me." After a pause, he sighed deeply. He couldn't keep putting this off, lest this chance be taken away from him. He had to get down to business sometime. "Well, I guess I have to ask this." He moved over to the desk, standing beside it. "I know a bit about what happened. I went to the lake and heard most of the details. About that Gyarados and Team Rocket. Even saw some of the details. But..." He paused. What would be the best way to say this? "But I want to hear your side of the story. Just what were you thinking releasing a mentally scarred Pokemon back out into the wild like that?" He spoke firmly but as compassionately as he could muster.

Ever since she had been brought to the station again, Julia had been in this enclosed room. She had found herself being asked all sorts of questions by adults. She was scared, she even cried. They hadn't actually been yelling much, and often used the most understanding tones. Yet she still felt as though she were like a bacteria under a microscope. Being under incredibly scrutiny and the whole situation was overwhelming her. What if she said something she shouldn't have? What if they responded to what she told them badly? All of that was making her more scared by moment.

Something about this person though put her at ease. She was still worried he could end up yelling at her again, like he almost did just there. Maybe it was something about how freely he spoke his mind. Maybe it was his age. She wanted to be absolutely sure of two things, first. "You're not going to use what I say against me, are you?"

"Er, no." Did she watch a lot of police shows or something, Nori wondered.

"And you're not going to think bad of me if I tell you?"

Nori's gaze went to the ceiling for a moment. "My opinion of you isn't that great with what I know," he freely admitted. Just on paper, releasing a Pokemon with mental health issues back into the wild was reckless at best. "Only way it could be worse is if you brag about what you did or anything." Julia wasn't doing that or acting rudely uncooperative, though. She was a terrified little girl. So there was certainly more to this story than that. "But you probably had a good reason for doing it, so..." He finally sat down across from her. "What happened? What led to this all?"

There it was again. He flat-out told her he thought bad of her, but also indirectly said that it didn't have to stay that way. She was sure at this point Nori wasn't the type to lie. And he didn't seem angry at all anymore. She felt it was all right if she told him. "Okay," she relented, wiping her face dry before going into her story.

"I was headed to Mahogany Town with my friends. We must have gotten lost, because we ended up at the Lake of Rage instead. We saw a shiny Gyarados, and Team Rocket showed up and went after it. My friends helped fight them off, but I couldn't do anything because of that evolution signal thing." She sighed, the feelings of helplessness at that moment returning to her. She'd wanted to help too, but all of her Pokemon hadn't fully evolved yet. They couldn't do a thing under its influence. "We at least got some help from Mr. Cipris. He pointed us to Mahogany Town and told us to go there. But Team Rocket attacked us on the way. I don't remember what happened, but we woke up in their base, I guess."

"We got out with help of our Pokemon and a wild Girafarig. Shortly after that the police found us and took us in. They brought me and my friends here." She paused, never imagining she'd be back here again as a prisoner. Just being forced to stay here the first time was bad enough. "I overheard some policemen talking about how Team Rocket captured the Red Gyarados. I couldn't just sit by and do nothing, so I ran off and broke into the base myself to help her." A girl her age breaking out of and into a criminal organization's base? Successfully? Nori grinned. "I only caught her because some Team Rocket guys were hurting her. I just wanted to help her. I was escaping the base with Geraldine-oh, that's what I nicknamed her. That's when the gym leader attacked us. I was in the hospital for a while because of him."

So she and possibly her friends were the civilian involvement he heard about? He should've figured as much. It was news that she was on the Gyarados when the gym leader attacked it. But he couldn't mind that at the moment. "All right, go on."

"After I got out of the hospital, I called my mom and asked her to send Geraldine to me. Because she got transferred to my place when I got in range of a Pokemon Center. But she wanted me to go back to the Lake of Rage and release her. We got into a big argument about it." Julia flashed back to then. Her mother was scolding her, calling her reckless, saying she shouldn't have sent Julia out on a journey until she turned eighteen. Her voice grew as she continued to give her account, "But mom said she wasn't going to keep Geraldine at our ranch. She said she saw a lot of problems with her." If it was just that, Julia might have found it in herself to defy her mother. But there was one more thing that convinced her to do as she was told. "She also said she wasn't going to transfer any more Pokemon for me until I released her."

Nori recoiled on hearing this. "Is that true?" He leaned in closer as he nervously asked for confirmation. "She really sort of threatened you into doing it? You're not just pointing the finger at her?"

"Ask my friends if you don't believe me! They heard me talking, too." That conversation was so loud, she wouldn't be surprised if half the Pokemon Center had heard.

"I believe you, I believe you," he assured. "But having other people who can confirm will help convince others." The young official sighed. If Julia's mother told her to do it, then maybe it could save her. But then her mother would be held accountable instead. Leaving aside how holding her daughter's Pokemon hostage until she did what she was told was just wrong, he was sure this wasn't a result that Julia would want, either. This was so screwed up.

Julia attempted to curl up on the seat. She just wanted to do what she felt was right. She did what her mother wanted her - no, made her do - and it ended up like this. She asked Nori a sincere question, "Does Arceus hate me?"

This question might have startled others, but Nori crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. "I personally doubt Arceus is responsible for making our lives, let alone shaping them," he quipped, shaking his head. He lowered it and looked Julia straight in his eye. "But if it is, it's certainly lost all my respect today."

Julia was bewildered at what she just heard. She never heard anyone be so openly dismissive towards Arceus, even if they weren't religious. Maybe he believed in something else? Yet if he didn't think Arceus did this, that could only mean one thing. "You're saying it's my fault, aren't you? It's okay if you think that. I'll take responsibility for what I did!"

"No," he raised his hands. "No, I didn't mean it like that." Well, on second thought, he felt he should be as honest as he could with her. "I mean...you could've done something besides releasing her. You could've made a case to your mother and kept her." He immediately added, "But I mean, the guy who tried to capture her was responsible too."

"I tried that! I tried to tell her I could do it! But she didn't listen. She said I wasn't ready to handle a Gyarados!" The young girl sighed. Her mother was usually fairly good about listening to her, but this time she had dug in her heels and refused to do so. "She said I wasn't experienced enough."

Nori smirked. "You gotta be a little crazy to handle a Gyarados even with experience," he declared with a grin, attempting to inject a bit of humor into the conversation. Julia remained silent. It didn't take. He awkwardly followed it up with, "But uh, handling it yourself wasn't the only option. I mean, you could've sent it to a facility or something."

Julia suddenly rose up. "No!" she yelled. "I wasn't going to do that to Geraldine! I wasn't going to send her to a facility! They could've euthanized her at one of those places!"

"What?" Nori scratched his head, very confused by this outburst. "That's not true. There'd be a scandal if they just put down any Pokemon that came in. Where'd you even get that idea?"

"My mom said they euthanize Pokemon at facilities! I wasn't going to send her to one!"

Another mention of that mother of hers. It's a good thing she wasn't here, Nori thought to himself, or he might not be able to stop himself from giving her a piece of his mind for putting all these thoughts in her daughter's mind. As to the remark though, he firmly shook his head. "There'd especially be a huge scandal if they just went and put down a Pokemon that suffered abuse at the hands of a criminal organization. And even if they couldn't do anything for Geraldine and wanted to put her down, there's people like me who wouldn't give up on her."

"Do you work in one of those facilities?" Julia asked. If it was coming straight from the source, she could've believed it.

"Huh? No, actually, I'm a Pokemon rehabilitator," he explained. "That's what I'm called, anyway. I take a more hands-on approach than the 'professionals' do." He had just a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he said the word professionals, but it wasn't clear where it was coming from.

"So, you're in a group that helps Pokemon?" She was really curious about this guy now. Someone as young as him could do something like that?

Nori remained silent for several seconds. "Actually, I'm the only one right now," he awkwardly admitted. "It's...a long story. But the short of it is, I didn't give up on a Pokemon that everyone else did. I managed to help her rein in her personality and proved I did it in a battle." He pulled out a Poke Ball, thoughtfully peering at it for several moments. "I got offered this position because of it."

Again, it became quiet in the room. Nori put the Poke Ball back in his pocket as he pondered this predicament. This was not at all what he was expecting to get into when he charged into this place. This was not the kind of person he was expecting to be behind the tragedy at the Lake of Rage. He'd not only learned that this girl had the best of intentions in mind, but that she may not have even wanted to do it in the first place. Regardless of what happened, he found it hard to hate her for what she did. No, impossible.

Julia too was thinking a lot. This Nori person must have run into a situation much the same as hers. He must have caught a Pokemon that had a lot of issues and problems as well. But the difference between them is that he didn't give up. There was a Pokemon that needed help, and he made sure it got the help it needed personally. She didn't even try with Geraldine, though. Just caved to her mother's request. "You probably think I'm a horrible trainer, and a bad person for releasing Geraldine when she needed help. Don't you?"

"What? No!" he snapped, standing to his feet. "Don't ever think that about yourself!" He looked off to the side. Those words just sort of came out. He didn't mean to shout them. "I mean, as horribly wrong as it turned out, it takes a lot of guts to release a Pokemon. You were only doing what you thought was best for her." Nori looked back at her again, expecting her to be covering her ears or shrinking away due to his initial tone. Instead she was staring in stunned surprise. He continued, "That speaks a lot about you. You have to be a good trainer and a good person to even think about doing that, let alone actually going through with it. Even if you were forced into it."

It must be confessed that Julia had wanted to cover her ears, but hearing that forceful 'no' was too shocking to not do anything but listen. She'd been yelled at many times for the slightest reasons, even if she was only trying to be nice or do the right thing. A lot of people had gone as far as to call her a troublemaker, bad, a brat, or any number of things. This Nori person was yelling at her, but for just the opposite - insisting she was none of those things. She found herself on the verge of crying, tears forming in her eyes. "I...I don't know what to say. Most people think I'm a bad kid if I so much as say or do something."

"Yeah, well you're not. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

That did it. She couldn't hold back anymore, sniveling as she replied, "Thank you..."

Nori was caught off-guard by that, and suddenly found himself feeling sheepish. He rubbed the back of his head. "Ummm, you're...welcome. I guess?" Thanks was the last thing he expected to get here today, let alone from the person he came to see. It felt good, truth be told, but the reality of the situation soon set in. This wasn't an ignorant or inconsiderate person he was dealing with. This was a kind and caring one.

He collapsed back in the chair. This was so screwed up. Hearing her intent completely changed things. This was a young girl who was just trying to do the right thing, and got burned for it. And yet the letter of the law meant she might get punished for the rest of her life because of it.

Julia soon wiped the tears from her face. "So...what's going to happen to me, Nori?" Her voice quivered as she talked. Maybe he didn't think she was a bad person, but she knew in her heart others wouldn't see it the same way.

"I hope nothing," Nori said, even though he felt in the back of his mind he was likely spouting idealism. "If nothing does happen, what are you going to do?"

The way the conversation was going, Julia momentarily forgot she was technically in the interrogation room of a police station. She gave a determined response, "Assuming you guys decide not to keep me in jail forever, I was planning to get my seventh gym badge from Mr. Snow."

Nori smirked. "If it happens within three days-that's when my trip here ends, I'll try to be there." He hadn't forgotten the point about the gym leader targeting her and Geraldine with an attack. "I imagine you're itching for some payback for when he went after you."

"Yup. I don't know what he was thinking doing that! Nobody should do something like that, especially a gym leader!" Yes, this would definitely be worth a watch, Nori figured. "My friends already fought him and got their badges, and when I get out of here-I mean, if I get out of here..."

She was interrupted by the door flying open again, this time slamming against the wall as it did so. Both of them jumped at the sudden noise. "All right, that's enough of that."

Detective Holle and the two officers from before came marching into the room like stormtroopers. Julia shrunk back behind Nori, absolutely terrified of the detective's furrowed brow. He turned to Nori, acknowledging him with a nod. "Excellent job, Mr. Carino."

"What?!" Nori was aghast. The detective wasn't being anything but genuine and appreciative with him, yet realization of what he'd done was making it unnerving. "How did you...?"

"Didn't I tell you this room was being monitored?" he explained. Nori's eyes grew wide. He'd forgotten about that, and wouldn't have thought they could listen in any event. "I've heard everything you two have said to each other." He gave a nod of approval. "Thank you for your assistance." Nori shuddered involuntarily at this.

"I...I..." Julia was trying to find words, but couldn't. The black-uniformed man was towering over her, like a judge high on his bench. She remembered the many times in her life she had been in such a situation. She had done something wrong, and an adult had shown up to reprimand her. She remembered when her old teacher used to do this, instinctively putting up her arms in defense.

Detective Holle crossed his arms. "So you finally confessed to what you did. You are in a lot of trouble," he announced, professionally if harshly. Nori could only watch. This was exactly what he was afraid of. But the detective wasn't done there, continuing his scolding. "To speak nothing of how you trespassed on a police raid, your reckless actions led to five deaths and twenty-three injuries."

People actually died?! She knew that something bad had happened with Geraldine, but she didn't know people had lost their lives. Just like what happened several years back in Cherrygrove. Guilt enveloped her. She just couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry!" Julia cried, tears pouring from her eyelids as she frantically apologized. "I'm sorry for what Geraldine did! I'll take full responsibility for what happened and I'll completely understand if you wanna throw me in jail and keep me there forever and ever and ever and ever!"

Detective Holle smiled slightly, nodding. "It's good to see you understand your situation. You may indeed be incarcerated for this. Certainly, you'll be going on the blacklist forever." He felt it would be wrong to hide her fate, or give anything but full disclosure. Whether it was a brutal truth or not was irrelevant, she was going to have to face that truth, and face her punishment. "We'll talk more about the charges you'll be facing after your parents arrive." He sat down across from Julia, who was unable to even look at him due to being so distraught. "But for now, we have some further questions for you."

"You say all that and you want to try and get more out of her?" Especially after what she said about using what she said against her. Nori would not be surprised if she refused to speak to the detective, to say nothing of his attitude. Professional or not, this was just uncalled for. "Do you really think she's going to talk to you just because she talked to me?"

Holle didn't even spare Nori a glance as he explained, "Whether or not she's willing is irrelevant. I'll find out what I need to one way or another." He knew exactly how he was going to approach this investigation, no matter how it went.

With that the young official had heard enough. He'd already heard a lot, but that did it. He took a bold step forward. "I'll try to find a way to help you, Julia. Just don't give up!" This wasn't right. He already didn't want to see her severely punished, but after seeing this he felt he couldn't stand by and do nothing. If he had anything to say about this, she'd be fine. Julia gave him a hopeful pleading look. She really hoped Nori could help. She'd accept punishment if she had to, but she was praying to Arceus that Nori could help her.

Detective Holle had other ideas. "I appreciate that you're trying to make her feel better, Mr. Carino. However, it is wrong to make promises that can't be kept, particularly when they involve matters such as this." He lowered his gaze, giving nods to the two officers who stood right in front of Nori. "In any event, I'm going to ask that you leave the interrogation room now, Mr. Carino."

Nori fired a glare at the detective, causing the two officers to immediately act by grabbing an arm each. "Fine." He turned and left, practically dragging the officers restraining him along instead of the other way around.

Eyes turned to look at him as he emerged from questioning. Some of them expressing disappointment, and a few being accusing. Even though he'd been through worse, it still bothered Nori a bit. The two officers let go of him after they were out of the room. The male started to say something, but Nori was continuing to walk away. "Calm down. Don't even think about doing anything."

"Do you think I would?!" He was upset, yes. But he knew you'd have to be either really stupid or a really confident criminal to start something in a police station. He was neither of those.

As Nori was heading away from the interrogation room, he passed by a lounge-type area. He noticed two children who were hanging about, causing him to pause. He supposed this room, which had several couches and a pair of vending machines for food and drink respectively, was for visitors. There was a girl with orange hair in somewhat fancy clothes, and a boy with curly blond hair with far less fancy clothes. Both of them seemed agitated about something, and given their age and how they didn't look related, he had a suspicion as to who they were and why they were here.

He entered the lounge and carefully approached the two, who turned to stare at him. "So...are you Julia's friends?" he carefully inquired.

"We just told you, we're not telling you anything. So go away!" The orange-haired girl got up to yell and sat right back down, crossing her arms and refusing to look at him.

The boy shook his head, as if to apologize for his friend's outburst. But he too was just as unwilling to speak. "Sorry. Unless you're here to tell us we can see her, we'd rather not talk."

Nori lowered his head. That confirmed it, and he wasn't surprised they didn't think much of him. After all, they might associate him with the people who threw their friend in this place. But then he thought about it for a moment: were they being quiet to protect Julia? He could understand if they wanted to, and they had very good reasons. "Maybe it's better that you don't..." he admitted as he sulked off. After all, if they were listening in on him and Julia, they could be listening in here as well. Even if he could make it clear he only wanted to help, it might only make things worse.

Nori slumped his shoulders and slowly continued his walk out of the station. That was really unfortunate. He was positive Julia's friends wanted to do something just as much as he did, yet it seemed there would be no collaboration between them. But maybe that really was for the better? If there's a group saying the same thing, it may not mean much. But if there's multiple people independently saying the same thing, it woul mean more. His posture improved as he thought about it. Maybe there was a chance.

Nori made it back to the lobby, the receptionist from before giving him a salute as he passed her by. He looked towards the doors to leave, when a very unusual sight walking in gave him pause: a man with spiked carmine red hair, a red jean jacket over a black shirt, boots a mix of both colors, and a big black cape..

"Lance the Dragon Master?" Nori scratched his head. Even someone from a different region like Nori recognized this man. He'd heard many stories about him, a lot of them good. "What's the champion of Johto and Kanto doing here?"

"I'm here to visit the girl who caught the Red Gyarados," the champion stated. He had noticed the receptionist's gesture towards Nori as he was walking inside, so he figured that the young man before him might be a member of the force despite his youth and lack of uniform. "Do you happen to know where Julia Parisa is?"

"She's being held in questioning at the moment." Nori gestured to the hall he had just came from. "I just got finished speaking with her myself. I wasn't expecting her to be a really kind person..." He wasn't sure why he said that. Maybe he just wanted to talk to someone about it. He was sure the champion had his own reasons for being here, and so didn't have much time for someone like him. Still, he wondered, "I didn't expect you to get involved with this..."

"I happen to have personal involvement in this incident. I helped lead the raid on the base where the Red Gyarados was being held." Nori's eyes stretched wide. He knew that gym leaders often get involved in the protection of their region, especially against larger-scale threats. But a champion doing that? Was this happenstance or him personally standing up to stop criminal organizations? "I was there when she captured it, and there to see her release it as well." He had been scouting around the Lake of Rage on his Dragonite after the incident, chancing upon seeing Julia and her friends there. "It really seemed to like her. Though she returned it to its family, it appeared really hurt."

Nori could see that. He got the impression Julia was the type to shower her Pokemon with love. She undoubtedly did the same with Geraldine during their short time together. It could be seen as a betrayal. But Nori had to ask something. "So...why do you want to meet with her?" He dreaded the worst.

"I'm going to have a chat with her. I hope to understand the situation from her end. And help sort this out if I can."

Nori's eyes lit up. He may have personally knew Julia? And he was going to help? This was some of the best news he'd recently heard. As the Dragon Master was beginning to head down the hall, an alarm went off in his mind. "Just be careful of that juvenile services detective," he called out, causing Lance to stop. Nori felt he should warn Lance ahead of time, just to be sure. As the champion turned his attention back to him, he awkwardly grasped one of his bangs, twirling it about. "He's...well...you'll see." He couldn't think of any polite way to describe the person in question.

The spiky-haired man nodded. "I will keep that in mind, thank you."

As he left down the hallway, Nori couldn't help but grin wildly. There definitely would be a chance with him around.

* * *

Having met the champion of two regions and hearing he was going to try to do something to help, Nori decided to sit in the lobby and wait to see the results. The chairs were as uncomfortable as he thought they would be, but he felt waiting would be worth it. Maybe his opinion didn't matter to these people. After all, to some of them, he was just some punk kid. Julia's friends opinions' could be brushed off as being biased. But the opinion of the strongest trainer in the region surely would mean something.

He lost track of time as he was waiting. The only measure he had was seeing Julia's friends leave at some point after. He figured Lance might have spoken to them too, and from how relaxed they appeared, was much more warmly received as well. As Nori waited, he was unable to think of anything but what Lance might have to say to these people. He smirked to himself imagining the caped man telling off that jerk of a detective. What he would've given to see that scene.

After some time, Lance did reemerge, being followed by that very same detective. Nori's smile faded when he saw Lance was walking swiftly, his lip curled and eyes with the flame of a wyvern in them. The spiky-haired man barely seemed to notice he was being followed, or didn't care.

"I have nothing but respect for you, Mr. Cipris," Detective Holle spoke as he tailed in behind. "I appreciate your concern and understand where you are coming from. However, you know as well as I do that the department is in the right here." He held a neutral expression, stating this as a fact while not being arrogant about it. Lance for his part just slowed his pace and peered at the ceiling. "As the law states, 'any trainer who releases a Pokemon shall be held accountable for its actions for six months after it has been released'. And by Arceus, did that Gyarados ever do some actions. It wasn't even a day since she released it."

The champion whirled around, halting a ways before where Nori was sitting. "Detective Holle, I do understand that what Julia did was wrong," he stated. "I'm only asking you to consider the circumstances of the matter."

"The circumstances are this, Mr. Cipris. That girl became involved in a police raid she shouldn't have. Over the course of that raid, she captured an enslaved Pokemon, an issue that should have been handled by we professionals. When she decided she couldn't handle it anymore, she released it. And you know what happened from there." Lance sighed in exasperation. Nori didn't blame him. This seemed like arguing with a broken record player. Detective Holle crossed his arms. "She made a huge mistake. So now she will have to live with the consequences for the rest of her life."

Nori couldn't take it anymore. He shoved to his feet and marched right up to the two. "You're still going on about this?" He may have come here wanting to know what was going through the mind of the person who released that Gyarados. What he heard had changed his views. While he now wanted to know what was going through this jerk's mind, he felt no manner of excuses could change his.

"Ah, you're still here, Mr. Carino?" Detective Holle greeted, as if his outburst from before hadn't happened. "It's my job to investigate as thoroughly as I can. Again, I appreciate your help in getting a confession out of her. I'll be sure to put in a word to your superiors about it." He put a hand on the Pokemon rehabilitator's shoulder, but Nori jerked away.

"I don't care about that!" he fired back. The detective's eyes went wide, then narrowed. "Were you even listening to me earlier? I said-"

"And were you listening to me?" the detective harshly countered. Nori clenched his fists. "This is cut-and-dried. That girl released a Pokemon that went on to claim lives and injure others. A Pokemon she should never have captured in the first place. There is nothing you can do or say to change these facts. If I have anything to say about this matter, she'll be punished to the fullest extent of the law for her actions."

With every word that came out of this man's mouth, Nori only grew more furious. "Julia isn't a bad person. I'm not going to let you-"

"I am warning you, Mr. Carino," Detective Holle raised a hand and practically shoved it in Nori's face to silence him, that gesture being for good measure coming only after cutting him off. He gave him a threatening, no-nonsense glare. "If you do anything to disrupt our investigation, you'll be charged with obstruction of justice. Are we clear?"

Nori grumbled, gritting his teeth. Lance held a sad look in his eye, shaking his head at the quaking boy. The young official held back, unable to find any words to say. This detective may have been in the right, but this wasn't right at all.

Holle got in his face, demanding a reply. "I said are we clear?"

Nori replied by walking away in disgust.

* * *

The young official forcibly dragged himself out of the police station. "That jerk..." he muttered as he plopped down on a nearby bench. As much as he wanted to tell off that detective, he knew that there wasn't anything he could do there. Worst case, he could've found himself imprisoned as well. "It's like he thinks she's no better than those Rocket thugs. And threatening me too..." He mused aloud. He found doing that helped him with his thoughts, among other things. "But I'm not giving up. I'm going to do something."

It was all well and good to say that of course, but doing it is another. His head drooped, "Where do I even begin with this, though?" Saving a Pokemon from being put down was one thing; saving a person from the cruelties of the law was a different beast altogether. Perhaps the only similarity is that the ones under the gunbarrel are both being viewed as a danger to society, at least in that detective's eyes. The same approach that worked back then would certainly not work now. "There has to be something I can do. This is so screwed up..."

"I've...finally...caught up with you...sir!"

He peered up to see a rather large man running towards him, gasping and wheezing. The man's face was beat red, and there were several dark spots on his uniform. He fell doubling over for air as he closed in. "Ahh...wow...shouldn't have...sprinted..."

It took Nori a moment to recognize the person in front of him. After what he had just been through, he had nearly forgotten about the events at the lake. "Officer Bunston?"

"That's me!" He weakly raised an arm and pointed at himself. "Officer...Lars Bunston!"

Nori stared. "What are you even doing here?"

"Ahh...I was asked by Officer Jenny to come help you if you needed it! But ah, it's probably a bit late for that, ah?" Nori confirmed. "So you talked to that scum responsible for this, then?"

Nori looked away. "You could say that..." he cryptically spoke.

"Good!" Bunston pulled himself up and sat beside Nori, who could feel the bench shift under his weight. "Guess I didn't need to...run over here after all." He chuckled and wheezed at the same time. "I can't believe some...dumb moron would release a monster like that into the Lake of Rage."

This stout officer had done it once and Nori had let it go. But this time he wasn't going to. "Don't call her a monster!" he got up and snapped.

"Huh?"

"Geraldine-that Gyarados is just as much a victim in this as anyone else! She didn't deserve what she went through from Team Rocket." With a sigh, Nori sat down, shaking his head. "She didn't deserve any of this."

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" Bunston bowed, begging forgiveness. Nori arched an eyebrow. What was with this guy? "I had no idea Team Rocket was involved. I thought this was just an angry Gyarados that went on a rampage. But you're right. Gerady didn't deserve to be released by that bad uncaring trainer who caught her, either!"

"Yes. I mean no! I mean..." Nori exhaled in frustration. He couldn't think right at all at the moment, and this guy wasn't helping. Trying to get his mind in order, he began explaining, "The trainer who caught her isn't a bad trainer. She isn't even a bad person. I talked to her. She told me everything. She never thought this would happen, she just did it because her mother asked, and she didn't think she could handle a Gyarados."

Nori had the urge to stand up and pace to work off some the stress. It hardly helped. "But...this is just wrong!" he cried out with rage, stomping the ground forcefully. "I thought this was going to be some ignorant doofus, maybe someone who trained it and decided to set it free for whatever reason. Not some preteen girl whose heart was in the right place!" He fell against one of the large trees surrounding the station, to use as support and to bury his head in. "It wasn't her fault. This wasn't negligence, it was an accident. And because of one stupid part of the law, she could be blacklisted or thrown in jail?!" He punched the tree in frustration. "What even happened here?!"

Officer Bunston was stunned to hear this all. Not just what Nori had said, but the way he said it as well. When he had skated off earlier today, he thought the young official was headed over to the station to deliver verbal justice. "I had no idea you felt this strongly about this, sir," he quietly spoke. "I thought for sure you too would want to see the one responsible for this punished severely."

He looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, well...I may have jumped to conclusions before assessing things." If Nori felt he was wrong, he wasn't afraid to admit it. He turned his body so he was facing Officer Bunston. "Worst of all, that juvenile investigative services detective seems like he wants to lock her away forever. I want to help her, but I don't know how!"

Bunston nodded. For his view to shift so dramatically, he must really be serious about this. And he given that there must be something to it all. "If that's what you think, then I'll help you."

"Wha-?" Now it was Nori's turn to be confused. "You'll help? Why?"

"Well, Officer Jenny said to help you for one. But I also respect what you do, sir!" Bunston declared. When he first met this kid, he thought he was just some skateboard punk looking to trespass on a crime scene. But it turns out he was a young official, and one who worked with Pokemon at that. "I dunno know if the trainer really is a bad person or not. But if an expert on Pokemon behavior says she isn't responsible, then there has to be something to it!"

Nori blinked. "Y-yes, that's right." He was by no means an expert on Pokemon behavior, but he'd go along with it if it meant getting someone on his side. If only convincing other people was this easy.

Suddenly, Bunston pulled out a Great Ball and cast it on the ground. "Meet my partner, Rough!" he declared as a black canine Pokemon with an orange snout and belly clad in bones formed in front of him. "Ah, as in not smooth, not the sound. We'll help you with whatever you need in your investigation, sir!"

Nori ruffled his hair. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think Rough is going to be of much help." The stout officer deflated, sighing as he recalled his Houndour. "But you can be. You can..." Wait, what could he do? Well, there was one thing that came to mind. "...maybe you could talk to some people on the force? Get their thoughts? Maybe tell them what happened?" The opinion of one of their own would certainly mean more to them than his ever could.

Bunston saluted. "Can do, Mr. Carino, sir! I'll try to speak with as many people as I can!"

"Just don't be too pushy about it, and watch out for Detective Holle." The last thing he wanted was this man's enthusiasm changing people's minds for the worse, or that detective stopping him. And being called those things was starting to get grating. "You can call me Nori, by the way."

A shake of the head. "I couldn't do that, sir. It'd be disrespectful!" Just as he thought. Oh well, if he never asked he never would've been sure. "What are you going to do, sir?"

"I'm going to find a hotel room, get some rest, and do some thinking. I'll be back tomorrow, so update me then." With this, Nori got up and started to leave. He still wasn't sure what he could do himself. He knew it was going to take a lot more than this to get Julia out of this predicament. For now, he could only place his trust in Officer Bunston to change some minds within the force. Maybe it would make just a small difference, but every little bit would help in this fight.

* * *

The conversation between Julia and Nori in this chapter was intended to be a partial parallel of the conversation between Julia and Lance in Chapter 35. It was also intended to catch up nonreaders of MarJour on the events that led up to it, and let actual readers of it know what changed in this version of events. This chapter actually has a ton of little things going on in it in general, but that's a big one.

When this alternate world fic was originally conceived, there was no such character as Detective Holle in this. I felt I should have someone to up the pressure though and serve to push and present the threat of what could happen to Julia, so I came up with the idea of an uncaring and unsympathetic detective. But not a corrupt one. Speaking of which, Bunston was originally intended to be a one-off character. However as the scope of this grew and I started to think about where the plot would go, I felt I needed a member of the force on Nori's side. So I turned him into Nori's "sidekick" so to speak.

Nori's party:

Nidorina (Female, Sassy Nature)  
Ability: Hustle  
Take Down, Double Kick, Crunch, Poison Jab

Pawniard (Male, Naughty Nature)  
Ability: Defiant  
Fury Cutter, Metal Claw, Slash, Psycho Cut

Bunston's party:

Rough (Houndour, Male, Serious Nature)  
Ability: Flash Fire  
Attacks: Flamethrower, Bite, Roar, Solar Beam


	3. Chapter 3: The Burden of Consequence

Chapter 3: The Burden of Consequence

"NOOOO!"

A scream blared from a room in the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center. The one who cried out thrashed as good as any Tauros in her terror, causing her Jigglypuff to get sent flying off the bed. Despite this rude awakening, the Balloon Pokemon rolled to her feet and hopped up. All she could think about was seeing if her trainer was okay.

Perrine opened her eyes to see her trusted partner just inches from her face. "Baloo..." She clutched the round pink Pokemon close. "I...I just had..."

The nightmare she'd just woke from was so vivid that she could have believed Darkrai was responsible. She recalled it easily. It started innocuously: she was the reigning champion of Johto, going on many years. She often dreamt of this, both asleep and awake. She dreamed of battling her idol Lance Cipris and becoming the successor to his title. She had everything in the dream: adoring fans, great Pokemon, friends who loved her. She'd just finished making a public appearance in a city she didn't recognize. With a wave, she saw her people off. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but received got a call for help on her phone.

She retrieved a Poke Ball and sent out a beautiful light blue bird Pokemon a long sword-like white beak, plumage like a ninja's shawl, a beautiful fan-like tail, and wings that shimmered like a prism. In her dreams she often used exotic Pokemon, some even borne from her imagination. She hopped onto the creature, and it danced off into the sky. She quickly came upon what she had been called for - a pair of thugs attacking someone two on one! Electricity was flying everywhere. On her orders her Pokemon swooped down.

She jumped off her Pokemon before it had fully descended. She landed smoothly on the ground in a crouch, standing to her feet and glaring at the two thugs. "I'll only say this once!" she bellowed as the bird behind her readied a tail slash. "Stand down right this instant or I won't show you any mercy!"

To her surprise, they appeared more relieved than anything. "You got it wrong!" shouted one. "She be tryin' to swipe our Pokes, yo'. Help us!"

"Wha-?" Sure enough, their Pokemon, a Grimer and a Spearow, looked beat-up and exhausted. And that is when she saw her. She was many years older, much like she herself was in the dream. She was also wearing a uniform way out of the norm for her. But that dark-brown hair, those green eyes, that face was still unmistakable. Her once friend and present foe gave her a soulless look. The look of someone who did not want to fall to this point but had no choice. Before her stood an unusually toned, but fearsome-looking Raichu. The uniformed girl silently flicked her wrist, ordering the attack. The orange-haired girl grabbed and violently shook her head, suppressing the remainder.

As Baloo nuzzled into her reassuringly, she managed to regain her senses. "It's okay, it was just a dream. That didn't actually happen..." She cast away the covers and tore off her pajamas, just throwing on whatever fresh clothes she could find. She didn't care how she looked right now. She just had to get out of this room.

The orange-haired girl dashed out into the Pokemon Center's lobby. She was hoping, praying to see what she usually saw. Practically every day since she woke up after starting on this journey, Julia was already awake before her. She would find her friend eating. Reading. Drawing. Looking stuff up on a computer. Playing with her Pokemon. Or any number of other things. Today she did not find her friend doing anything. Because she wasn't here. Today when Julia woke up, she was likely confined to a dark cell somewhere in a police department.

Perrine collapsed in despair. She had been hoping in her heart that yesterday was just a bad dream, a cruel trick, a vision of what could have been. But it wasn't any of those. It had really happened to Julia, to her, to Caiseal, to everyone. This was truth.

A voice murmured to her from behind. "Hey."

"Hey..."

The orange-haired girl slowly picked herself off the ground. It was a struggle to do so, she felt as if she'd put on clothes made of steel. Once Perrine made it to her feet, she pivoted around to face the boy who spoke to her. An uncomfortable silence drew over the two of them.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked Caiseal.

"Not good. You?"

"Same."

The two slumped their shoulders, their sighs harmonious with each other. They had been traveling together with Julia for so long, it was an expectation that she be with them. But the harsh reality collided with them like a meteor impacting the earth. Yesterday afternoon may have been the last time they could see their friend outside of prison for years, if not at all ever again. It was so sudden how it happened.

* * *

Julia was still a bit depressed after having to release Geraldine the previous day. Caiseal and Perrine had wanted to try something to lift her spirits, so decided to treat her by going to a restaurant for lunch. They figured maybe doing something special would help. They'd considered a number of places, including a gaudy Unovan-style diner and a ramen place. Ultimately they had settled on an Apple Garden, as Julia preferred the comfort of familiarity.

Julia ended up having a big bowl of her favorite food, spaghetti and meatballs. Perrine too went with pasta, however opting for a lasagna instead. Caiseal by contrast settled for a simple burger and fries. They had surprised Julia by paying for her meal, which she couldn't believe. She really didn't feel she deserved it, but they had insisted. After having their fill, they decided to head a nearby park to relax and let their Pokemon get some fresh air and exercise.

"Feeling better, Jule?" Caiseal asked, as they came to a streetlight.

"A little, yes," came the reply. Having to give up Geraldine per her mother's wishes still stung. But this had helped. "Thanks for doing this for me, guys. It means a lot."

Seeing as how they were still waiting on the light to cross, Perrine pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm just glad you're feeling better now." Julia giggled and returned it, breaking it off as the sound to cross echoed through the air.

It wasn't that far from where they were. They simply needed to make their way over to a nearby crosswalk to get onto the block where the park was. Caiseal had another question for her along the way, "So have you thought about battling Pryce yet?"

Julia shook her head. "Not really. I haven't had the time or been in the mood for it..." That was understandable. She had to focus on recovery while in the hospital. "I should probably start thinking about it now, shouldn't I?"

"He was pretty easy for the two of us, like we said," Perrine laughed. If it had been under normal circumstances she'd almost say it was unsatisfying. But it was probably one of the most satisfying gym battles she had, if only to crush the person who had attacked her friend.

Caiseal smirked, but added, "That's no reason not to do all the planning you can, of course." It never did hurt to be prepared.

"Yeah," Julia agreed. They reached the white lines signifying the last street between them and the park. Perrine pressed a nearby signal, the three friends looking then crossing as a yellow light flashed on either side of the road. After reaching the other side she continued her thought, "I might switch out some Pokemon for it, since he uses Ice-types. But I'll have to do some more research."

It was still just a bit further to go to reach the entrance of the park, chain-link fences obstructing entry from the side they were on. They had just rounded the corner and were making their way over when a police vehicle abruptly pulled over beside them. A woman wearing a hair-covering hat and thick sunglasses stepped out of the passenger side.

"We've found the perp," came a male voice from inside as the woman marched up to them.

"Julia Parisa? I'm going to have to ask you to come with us."

"Huh? What's going on?!" the confused Julia asked. Like it were clockwork, the male got out and opened the backdoor as the female shuttled her inside. "Where are you taking me? No! Let go!" On instinct she tried to squirm free, but the woman's grasp was too firm.

"To the station. You are in a lot of trouble, young lady."

What was going on? Julia being arrested?! Perrine was too shell-shocked by this to do anything, but Caiseal leaped into action. "Hey! What gives?!" He ran over to the woman and demanded answers.

The man was sternly speaking but neither of them could make out what he was saying. The woman slammed the door and gave a terse reply, "Your friend is under arrest," before walking around the boy and getting back inside.

In a panic, Julia attempted to open the door and flee, only to find it locked. As the police car drove off, she banged on the windows and screamed so hard her throat hurt.

"Perrine! Caiseal! HELP!"

Hearing her name snapped the orange-haired girl from her stupor, and she dashed off in pursuit of the police car. "Julia!" she yelled back, but it was just too fast for her to keep up with. For a few moments, she watched as it drove off into the distance. She whirled around. "Caiseal, we're headed to the police station!"

He was already moving. "Of course!"

They had remembered where the station was from when they had been brought there to protect them from Team Rocket. They ran over there as fast as their legs could carry them. As soon as they made it inside they descended on the first officer they saw, a tall teal-haired fellow with a small beard. An older one from how his hair was a shade of gray.

Caiseal got to him first. "Hey, do you know where our friend is?"

Taking the sudden question from two young kids in-stride, he replied, "You'll have to be more specific than that."

"Our friend Julia was just brought in here," Perrine immediately followed up. "Julia Parisa. We don't even know why!"

He arched an eyebrow at the kids. "That girl? Haven't you heard the reports?" he inquired as if it were a rhetorical question. "That Gyarados your friend released went on a rampage this morning."

"What?" Caiseal gasped. "We hadn't! No one told us that!"

"No...!" Perrine took a step back. She didn't want to believe it. She refused to believe it. "No, no, no! It wasn't her fault! It can't have been her fault!" She grabbed the officer by the front of his uniform, shaking it violently. "Tell me this isn't real! Tell me she's going to be okay!"

The officer's eyes went wide with shock. He was never good at dealing with children, not even his own. He put a hand on her shoulder to attempt to reassure her. "Look," he told her, kneeling down to their level. "I understand how you're feeling right now. I myself had to arrest my best friend's son when we found him working for Team Rocket here, regardless of the circumstance."

"That doesn't help at all!" Perrine cried, "My best friend just got arrested and you're saying it doesn't matter why?!" Her phrasing came out somewhat mangled in her distress.

The policeman sighed. He had just made things worse. There was only one thing he figured he might be able to do. "Here, come with me." He twitched his finger and led them down a hallway. A couple doors later and they came to a lounge-type area. There were vending machines and several comfortable-looking green sofas to sit on. This surprised the more coherent Caiseal. Why couldn't they have been here last time instead of sitting on those awful metal chairs? "You can wait in here. I'll let you know when she's out of questioning and you can come see her. Will that help?"

"I...I guess...maybe," the orange-haired girl hyperventilated, collapsing onto an entire couch.

Caiseal nodded. "For now. Thank you, sir." The officer gave them a salute and left the two friends there. It pained them both to have to wait like this, but they couldn't do anything else at this point.

(End flashback)

* * *

It felt like an eternity waiting, mostly them talking and killing time. That's not to say it wasn't eventful, as a few people showed up. Notably the champion Lance Cipris had stopped by and reassured them, which gave Perrine a lot of hope. They'd gone out and got a bit of fresh air after that, before being informed by the officer they could finally go see Julia. It was a brief talk because of circumstances, but they both promised they were going to do whatever they could to help her. She had mentioned someone else was doing that too, but only gave a name.

"I still can't believe that happened..." Caiseal said. Of all the people to get arrested, why her? It just wasn't fair.

Perrine nodded in agreement, sauntering out into the main area of the Center alongside Baloo when something caught her eye. "Hey look, they have a report of what happened on TV." She directed Caiseal towards the Pokemon Center's television. A panning shot of the Lake of Rage was being shown, a huge red banner at the bottom stated 6 DEAD, 22 INJURED IN GYARADOS LAKE RAMPAGE.

Soon after they turned their eyes to it, the scene switched to a shot of Mahogany's uptown sector. "Detective Frederick Holle of juvenile investigative services issued this statement this morning on behalf of the Mahogany Town Police Department," said the female newscaster.

The harsh visage of a dark-coated man appeared, standing in front of the police station near its black sign, MTPD written in big red letters with its motto, _Seiginotameni_ , below it. The trees and station's flag were billowing in the autumn wind behind him. The two friends instantly recognized the man. "Not him..." Caiseal groaned. They had been waiting in the lounge, hoping to get a chance to see Julia, when this detective had suddenly shown up. After he introduced himself, he started asking them all sorts of questions.

 _"You're Julia Parisa's friends, aren't you?"_

 _"What do you think of your friend's actions today?"_

 _"What happened after she released the Gyarados?"_

 _"Is it true that your friend's mother asked her to release the Gyarados?"_

They were initially too stunned by his sudden appearance and barrage of questions to reply. They'd asked if they could see Julia, and his answer was another question. It was Caiseal's idea that they refuse to say anything to him. After all, they weren't being held in questioning. The detective went on about how it was their civic duty to help the police with their investigation in any way they can, and how they had a moral obligation to do so as well. However their stance remained the same. No matter what, their loyalty to their friend came first. After a while of this, he gave up and left, much to their relief.

Detective Holle spoke loudly but formally, "What happened yesterday at the Lake of Rage was a travesty beyond words. While we in Mahogany have always been prepared to deal with a Gyarados attack on the town, no one expected an incident of this magnitude to happen at the lake itself. This is something that never should have happened. My prayers and condolences go out to all the victims of yesterday's incident." He closed his eyes clasped the necklace he was wearing as he said this last statement. When they opened again, they were cold as ice. "But we have the one responsible in custody. Rest assured that I and the department will be seeking to prosecute her to the fullest extent of the law."

A photo of their friend flashed on the screen, what seemed to be a mugshot. Tears streaming from her wide eyes were reflecting a camera's flash. "Police arrested 11-year-old Julia Carol Parisa of New Bark Town at about 1:50pm yesterday for releasing the Gyarados into the lake. She's expected to be charged with criminal negligence, as well as mishandling of a Pokemon leading to injuries, death, and property damage."

"I can't believe this!" Perrine complained as the newscaster continued to speak. "It's like they're trying to make Julia look like a common criminal!"

"I know. This is bad..." Caiseal watched on, dreading what horrible things could be said about her next.

"The Red Gyarados is believed to have been originally linked to Team Rocket before being captured by the suspect. Its rampage is considered unusual by ecologists, the first at the lake in nearly three decades. Reporter Nadia Schrader was able to reach out with a Pokemon rehabilitator last night, who gave his insight as to the cause of the incident."

It was the other guy from yesterday. The one who showed up several minutes after the detective and tried to ask them about Julia. They figured it was someone else the detective had sent in, but they were prepared that time. The two gasped as his name appeared on the screen. Julia had told them a Nori was going to help her. They didn't think she was talking about him, however. He was near a gaudy building of many colors, standing in a well lit portion of its parking lot.

"Mr. Carino, it's well known that Gyarados living in the Lake of Rage traditionally do not go on rampage. Do you have any idea what could've caused this one to do so?"

The young man tapped his chin and shrugged. "I mean, it's hard to say. Even given history, Gyarados can be set off by the smallest things. It's no secret that Team Rocket was involved with this Pokemon, so any number of things could've been going through her mind."

"What are some of the things that could've been going through its mind?

"Being scared and confused. From what I know, she had a lot of experiments performed on her. Girl by the way, you can tell by the whiskers." The reporter gave a faint acknowledgement. "She'd just been released by a trainer who cared about her. Then some guy started attacking her-"

Perrine suddenly recalled Baloo, then turned and gestured wildly. "Come on, Caiseal. We have to get going!"

"What?" He took a step forward to follow the orange-haired girl, who was marching out of the Center with purpose, caught off-guard by her sudden burst of energy. "Wait, where are we going?"

"We have to go see that Nori guy!" she reiterated, waving him forward. "Now come on!"

She was nearly out the door by the time he reacted. "Perrine!" Caiseal called out, causing her to halt and twist aroud. "We don't even know where that Nori lives!"

"Yeah, but didn't you see where he was?"

Come to think of it, it did seem familiar. It hit him. "That diner we were thinking about going to? What was it called...Colton's?"

Perrine flashed a thumbs-up. "Right. But it's actually called Connor's. Even if he isn't there, people there might be able to tell us where he went!"

"Well, Jule did say he's trying to help. I guess we should have a look. It's only a few blocks away."

"Right. Let's get going!"

* * *

Connor's was a homely place in Mahogany Town whose exterior was draped in blue and white stripes and red spheres. A huge sign was posted outside the place, taller than the building itself. Detractors would say it stuck out like a sore thumb, yet it enjoyed steady popularity throughout its existence. It took inspiration from retro diners from the eponymous owner's native Unova, with stools and a checkerboard floor. It was decorated with all sorts of memorabilia from his days as a Graytown Bomber, and more relevantly to the region it was in, when he later played as a Kogane Tiger. The man himself, a dark-skinned fellow who even in his golden years looked not a day over 30 and more fit than most 30-year-olds as well, stood behind the counter wiping it with a white rag.

Nori had found this place when he first arrived in Mahogany before this whole mess started. Due to getting involved he was practically becoming a regular. A reporter had happened to be there last night doing a feature on the diner, and overhearing his venting, had asked him for an interview. The very same interview was playing on the tiny box suspended above the counter.

"So who do you think is to blame for all this?" the reporter asked.

"If anyone is to blame, it's..." He paused. "Actually, it's Team Rocket. They were the ones who made her this way. The Gyarados, that is. We can't really fault Miss Parisa. She caught the Gyarados for all the right reasons. She was ready to raise her and everything, even called her Geraldine. And when she figured she couldn't handle a Gyarados with her experience, tried to do the right thing and release her. It's really unfortunate what happened from there, especially with what she could now face because of this."

"Are you saying we need better education?"

"I guess that would be one way." He shrugged his shoulders. "I just hope she gets a chance to learn from what happened. We could all stand to learn from this."

As Nori's portion of the report came to an end, the owner flashed him an approving smile. "Ya knocked it outta the park, son," he congratulated, compounded by a hard pat on the back that made the young official grunt. He was dressed in a fine black and white suit with a bow tie.

"I don't think so." Nori was cursing himself. He had a lucky break that allowed him the opportunity to get the message out, and that was the best he could do? "All I really did was state the obvious, some buzz phrases, and a bunch of stuff that doesn't matter." He wouldn't go as far to outright admit he was panicking on the inside and winging it all. He didn't even know the name of the guy who tried to capture Geraldine afterwards. The first time he heard it was on this very report.

Connor shook his head. "Sure it mattered. You reminded'em folks that lass's a person same as any of us."

That made some sense. He did remember to point out Julia as a kid who'd made a mistake, and that she could suffer for the rest of her life for it. But then again, some wanted to see exactly that happen to her. "Yeah, well. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of people out there who still think she's sentient trash or whatever."

"Heh. Now sentient trash ain't that bad. If folks think that I just introduce them to Garbles here." A huge mass of brown gunk with red and blue specks formed. It had two long arms with pumps on the end, a torn green shroud of some kind over top, and what looked like fluffy ears, except made of gunk. The Pokemon dopily waved an arm in greeting. "Finest janitor I ever had, an' super friendly too."

Nori stared blankly. "That's a Pokemon, though. Julia's a person." He peered down into at his empty glass. He saw a young man with curled lips, uncombed hair, and half-shut red eyes reflected in it. "A really, really good person in real trouble."

Connor frowned. "Only thought a bit'a jokin' might make ya feel better." The finely-dressed man snatched the glass from under his patron. He turned around towards his drink barrels, getting Nori some ginger ale like he'd ordered before. "Here ya go, on the house. Chin up, now." He slid the full glass below the Pokemon rehabilitator. "How ya gonna get that lass outta there actin' like that?"

Nori continue to stare at himself, this time in the beverage. He eventually exhaled, breath causing his reflection to distort in the ripples. "You're right," he passively acknowledged, sitting up and taking a light sip. He ran his fingers through his hair to help straighten it out. "I just need to figure out what to do." Sitting around wasn't going to help. But doing the wrong things wouldn't either. He had to get it right.

"That's the spirit." There was an abrupt ringing beneath the counter. "Hold up, gotta take this. Garbles, start doin' your thing." He gestured to his Pokemon before answering. "Hello, this is Connor's." Nori took a sip of his drink, and when he lowered his glass found the telephone being passed to him. "Phone's for you."

"For me?" he stated aloud, unsure what to make of it. Who could be calling a Unovan style diner looking for him? He tentatively accepted the receiver. "He...llo?"

"Hello, sir!" Nori recoiled as a jolly voice boomed from the other end. It was so loud he heard, "It's me!" even though his ear wasn't close to the phone.

"Is this on speaker?!" Nori rasped, the owner shaking his head in response. "Bunston! The whole resturaunt can hear you!" He was exaggerating, but only barely.

"Well, turn off the speakerphone, sir!"

"It's not on speaker!"

"Oh. Sorry, sir!" The chestnut-haired boy sighed, slapping his forehead. At least his enthusiasm seemed a sign of good news. "Anyhoo, it's a good thing you did that interview, 'cause I wouldn't have known how to find you if you hadn't! You really should have a Pokegear, sir!"

"They're not manufactured where I live, and I don't feel the need for a phone anyway." He didn't have anyone who he would regularly call, and his position as an official didn't necessitate a mobile phone - just regular reports. Besides, he figured if he really needed to make a call while traveling, he could use a Pokemon Center's phone.

"Oh." The disappointment within Bunston was palpable from just one word.

Ignoring it, Nori continued on. "I was going to swing by the station later. But since you're here, have any news for me ahead of time?"

"You bet I do, sir!" declared the stout officer. "I went out and did what I said I would!"

"And?"

There was a pause from the other end. "Uh, I didn't have much luck, sir." Nori grumbled and shook his head, exasperated. All that buildup just for that? "Not because I didn't try, sir! I tried, sir, but uh. Not a lot of people wanted to talk about it. You know, in the good way not the bad way. And the two that did had a negative opinion."

"So you mean it's like they don't know what to think of it?" That was some news. He had his doubts as to whether the whole department had the same mindset, but confirming their uncertainty reassured him.

"That is a possibility, sir. I'm not fully sure myself. But they also might not want to be a part of it!" the officer continued. Nori brought the phone closer to his ear. Could there really be something more to this? "I mean, anyone would be afraid of getting a huge tongue-lashing, being punished with overtime, and having his salary cut, sir!" Bunston laughed nervously.

The young official felt the urge to fall onto the back of the seat, though the swivel chair he was on lacking a back prevented that. "I think that was just you going too far and getting punished for it, Bunston."

The stout officer let out a high-pitched yelp. "How did you know, sir?!"

"You just told me, that's how." That confirmed it. He'd told Bunston to be careful, but at least it seemed the only damage he did was to himself. "Thanks for the update in any case. You're uh...not skipping work to tell me this, are you?"

"No no, it's my lunch break, sir!" Nori looked up at the clock. It was a little after noon. How time flies. "Anyways, I must confess. I didn't see what you meant about this all at first, but now I do. It is a good thing you are here to help this girl, sir!"

Even given the severity of this situation, Nori couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. "You know, it's funny."

"What is, sir?"

"I didn't even want to be here."

Bunston let out a strange noise. "You didn't?"

"Apparently officials have to take mandatory vacations." There were many things about being an official that surprised him, but this was by far the strangest. His superior said it was so people don't overwork, but he still didn't get it. "Shortly after I finished the training I had to go through, I thought it would finally be time to get down to business. But nope, short time later I get a call and am told I have to take time off before I even begin. Expenses paid and everything, within reason."

"You're real lucky, sir. Most would kill for a free vacation!" He laid his envy clear to Nori, but quickly added some more. "Not that I've...ever thought of that. So maybe it was fate that brought you here?"

Nori shook his head. "It was just me being in the right place at the right time." He sighed, mumbling an addendum. "Maybe the wrong place."

Not hearing the last part, Bunston asked, "So why'd you come here of all places?"

The young official shrugged. "Johto's the closest I could get to home, I guess." He looked over at the clock. He'd been talking with Bunston for about five minutes. He figured he should probably get moving if he wanted to get things done today. "Anyway, I should go. Like I said, I'm probably going to stop by there in a couple hours. If not, sooner." The sooner he could get it done and out of the way, the sooner he could move onto whatever step was next. "Update me more then, but don't do anything to get yourself in more trouble. All right?"

"Yes, sir!"

"All right. Bye."

Nori passed the receiver back to Connor. The owner had occupied himself with other matters during the conversation. "So who was that?"

"That was my contact in the station," Nori explained. "Least it seems not all the force is against her."

"Good to hear. Not fightin' the whole department gives ya a shot at least."

"No kidding." He would still be willing to fight the whole department, considering things he had been through in the past. But not having to definitely made life easier.

"This is the place," came a young girl's voice from behind him. Nori briefly glanced over his shoulder to see two small figures stepping into the diner. The childrens' eyes were quickly drawn to Garbles, who was absorbing the remains of a spilled drink.

"Wow, is that a Pokemon from Unova?" the boy asked.

"Sure is," confirmed Connor. "He's kinda our mascot up in here." The Garbodor raised its arms, posing with a goofy expression. With a chuckle, the owner continued, "An' before you say, I know. Kinda ironic for somethin' like him to be representin' a food establishment." But the patrons always enjoyed his presence, so that's how it came to be.

"Hang on, I gotta check this out!" Perrine said, took out her Pokedex gave Garbles a scan. _Garbodor, the Trash Heap Pokemon. This Pokemon's body consists almost entirely of garbage. They are capable of absorbing any kind of compost and making it a part of themselves. Doing so also produces various odors and poisonous gases within them. Garbodor often attacks by grabbing their opponents with their left hand and either belching gas them or dousing them with liquid from their right hand. Even a small amount of latter can cause the victim to experience the effects of the toxin._ Oddly enough, it actually smelled fairly pleasant.

"Uh, Perrine?" Caiseal tapped her on the shoulder. "Didn't we come here to find that guy?"

"Oh!" She'd been caught up in seeing this exotic Pokemon that she'd momentarily forgotten her reason for being here. "That's right, we have to ask about Nori."

On hearing his name, the young man swiveled his seat to face the two. "Well, my name is Nori." So it was them? He noted that it seemed their fashion senses swapped: the boy was dressed sharply despite the simplicity of his outfit, and the girl had on a sky blue shirt with a cloud motif that clashed with her ankle-length brown skirt.

"Oh, it is you! We came here to find you!" said the orange haired girl. So they really were looking for him and not someone with the same first name. The two kids approached. "Sorry about yesterday. We didn't know you were on our side until Julia told us."

Nori shrugged. "No big deal. You didn't know who I was, and...well," He ruffled his hair. "We really shouldn't have been talking about anything in there anyway."

"Yeah. Jule told us how that detective was listening in on you two," the blonde boy explained. "When we got to see her, we didn't talk much because she said he might be listening to us too, and trying to use stuff against her."

"Sounds like something he'd do all right," Nori chuckled, although there was clear disgust in his tone as well. If it wasn't for Detective Holle, this would be so much easier. But about these two. "Um, who are you anyway?"

"I'm Perrine!"

"Caiseal's the name."

"Nice to meet you both. I...guess you already know my name." They must have heard it from Julia, if not seen it on TV. They non-verbally confirmed this. "So what'd you come and find me for?"

"Well, we heard from Jule that you're planning on helping her," Caiseal explained, hopping up and sitting two seats to his left.

Perrine continued, "And we want to help her too! So we figured we should work together!" Nori nodded in agreement. There were potential disadvantages, sure. But given the situation, the advantages outweighed them. And maybe they had ideas of their own. He certainly didn't have any. The girl placed her hands together and cheerfully inquired, "So what're you planning on doing?"

Not what he was hoping to hear. "I'm still figuring that out," Nori freely admitted, yet put on as confident a facade as he could. He casually grabbed his drink and took a sip. "I got on TV, so that's a start. Besides that, I was thinking of going down to the station. My contact's already given me an update, so I guess it'd just be to visit Julia and get an update from her."

Perrine had to push herself up, but managed to sit between Caiseal and Nori. "Uh-huh. What else?"

Put on the spot. "Well, I guess she might want a lawyer just in case everything goes to crap." Actually, the thought of this had only crossed his mind at that moment. Maybe talking was helping after all, since it was giving him these ideas. "But I don't know any, let alone any in this region."

Perrine considered this. "I don't know much about legal stuff, but my parents would. I think." Her father did work at the Radio Tower, so maybe he would know some lawyers.

"Well, there's price to consider as well." It hit Nori, that's probably why he didn't think about it. "Lawyers aren't cheap, and we don't want to throw a bunch of fees at her she or her family can't pay." On his response, the orange haired girl put her arms down on the counter, almost lying down on it. Feeling a bit bad, he added, "But it is worth a try."

"Okay!" she picked herself up. The young official could tell she just wanted to do something to help Julia. "I'll call them as soon as I get back to the Pokemon Center!"

Nori smiled, leaning forward to look beyond her. "What about you? You got any ideas?"

Caiseal had been sitting down, listening intently. "Oh, I uhh...don't know exactly what I can do. Maybe I'll check around for more information, or read up on it." That might be enough, Nori thought. Understanding the situation might help him think of something. "By the way, if you don't mind, I'm wondering something."

"What's that?" Nori asked, finishing off his drink.

"What's a Pokemon rehabilitator anyway? I've never heard of it before."

The eternal question. Nori had been asked it so many times that it was reflexive to explain. "You haven't heard because it's so new. What I do is take Pokemon who have troublesome personalities and help them improve." He took out his Nidorina's Poke Ball. "Compared to an 'expert', my approach is more hands-on in how I train them."

"That sounds kinda dangerous," Perrine mused. "What if one of your Pokemon does something bad? Like, Ge...you know."

"Simple," he declared with a grin. "Recall it before it can!" In an instant he whipped out a laser pointer and pointed it at a glass on a distant table to demonstrate his aim. The patron the glass belonged to actually clapped, as did Perrine and Caiseal grin in surprised approval. Nori ruffled his hair and quickly put it away. "Umm...anyway," he hastily changed the subject. "What about you two? What's your story? Stories?"

Perrine got into it, "I've always dreamed of being a Pokemon trainer, just like my Aunt Mao. To get out and explore the world! I want to fight my idol Lance and become champion!"

"Me too," Caiseal agreed. "Minus the parts related to her."

Of course they were. That's how it usually is with travelers. He chucked at Perrine. "You gotta destroy what you love for your dream, huh?"

"Guess so," she shrugged with a small giggle. She never thought of it like that. It was a funny way of putting it.

"What about each other?" Nori asked. That was always something that he'd thought about, when it came to a hypothetical journey. Sure there were alternative goals, but when traveling companions have shared ones, it gives way to eventual competition. "There can be only one, after all. If you have to fight each other, will you let it get in the way of your friendship?"

The two exchanged glances. They hadn't really thought about that before, but Nori had raised a point. "Well, how I see it anyway," Caiseal began, "We have our whole lives ahead of us. Even if we lose to each other, there's always next time."

Perrine nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It won't be the end of the world if I lose to Caiseal or Julia. Once you get Julia out, that is!" Nori smiled warmly. It seemed she had complete confidence in him. "The three of us will still always be friends!"

"Was just wondering." He was a bit envious they could have that point of view. It was always a worry with him. If he were to hypothetically travel on a journey across a region, he would want to do so alone or with people with other goals. Even though they could put stuff aside for the championship and not let it affect anything, others might not. And he wouldn't want to lose any friends over having to compete against each other.

"Anyway-" Perrine's thoughts were cut short as her stomach started to rumble. "Oh. Sorry..." She was in such a rush to get out the door that both she and Caiseal had forgotten to eat. Thankfully they were in the right place for sustenance. She was about to ask what they served for breakfast, only to spot a clock on the back wall. Perrine actually gasped when she saw the time was around twenty to one. "No way! Did we really get up that late?!"

"I had trouble getting to sleep..." Caiseal admitted.

"Yeah, me too." But still, she never imagined this. She had slept in before, but never late enough so that it was too late for breakfast. So lunch it was. She nudged Nori. "Hey, want to have lunch with us?" she invited.

Nori shook his head. "Thanks, but I just had breakfast a little while ago." A simple ham and cheese omelette with some toasted brown bread. The rehabilitator hopped off the stool and stretched his legs. He'd been sitting there for a good hour and a half at least. "And I figure I should get over to the station soon. Want to get over there before it gets too late."

This made sense, Caiseal figured. "Okay. We're counting on you. Tell Jule we'll try to visit later."

He was continuing to stretch and warm up his legs, also stretching his arms a bit. "Gotcha." Relaying a message was simple enough. When his muscles were sufficiently roused, he started to head out. "See you later! And thanks again for the food and drinks, Connor."

"Anytime. Keep at it, ya hear?"

He was nearly out the door when Perrine called out to him. "Hey, how should we keep in contact?" the orange haired girl asked, that just occurring to her at that moment. "Do you have a Pokegear?"

He halted. Keeping in contact was important. "Nope, not from Johto. But meeting up here works. If not that, I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center." Either place to meet up with them again worked. Nori waved to Perrine and Caiseal before exiting the diner. He quickly assembled his skateboard and hopped on, heading off towards the police headquarters.

* * *

Nori was making excellent time as he zoomed through the roads in Mahogany Town. It really was an efficient tool, and a purchase he was glad he had made. After all, the less time spent traveling, the more time spent being able to do things. The sooner he could speak to Julia and find out anything new, the sooner he could get to figuring out what his next move would be.

The young official was planning his route as he skated. Having gotten to know the city reasonably well, he figured out which roads to take to avoid pedestrian traffic while still making good time. He was making his way down one such road, coming to an intersection. He stopped to look both ways, and that's when he spotted someone on his right. This dark-uniformed man stepped out in front of him, obstructing his path. He was wearing his overcoat over his uniform due to the cold, but his ragged hair, harsh folds on his face, and his necklace made him unmistakable.

All sorts of alarms went off in the young official's mind. Where did Holle come from? Being here can't be a coincidence. He huffed. "What are you doing here?" Nori asked, barely maintaining his cool. "And how did you find me?"

The detective smirked. "Mr. Carino, I've been doing this for years. People have habits and desires. Therefore, it's easy to track and predict the movements of a person. You simply need to be there when they are. In your case, I figured you would visit the station sometime today. This intersection being one you were likely to take." The smirk mutated into a full-on grin. "This is the same way I've managed to capture countless delinquents."

A chill ran down Nori's spine. Did he do something wrong? Yes, he actually kind of did. How he got that interview. And here he was having walked right into this. He considered being more careful or erratic next time. If there was a next time. He was filled with dread as he asked, "Wait, you're not here to bring me in, are you?"

The detective shook his head. "No, I just wanted to talk to you about a few things." Nori arched an eyebrow, but Holle gave no further explanation. He simply checked for vehicles then gestured for Nori to follow. "We'll walk as we go. Come on, off that piece of wood. It makes you look like a punk."

The young official stood there dumbfounded. This came out of nowhere. Even though this wasn't about arresting him, he still had a very bad feeling about this detective. He hoped that just doing nothing and continuing to stand there would make the problem go away, but Holle waited expectantly. Nori deflated with a sigh, resigned that he had no say in this matter. He put his transportation away, the detective smiling wide at this. Holle started walking, Nori uncomfortably following along.

"So I have a question for you, Mr. Carino," Detective Holle said to the young rehabilitator without looking back. "All you know about this girl is what she's told you. You don't even live in the same region. Yet in spite of this you're very determined to help her. Why do that?"

Here it was. Exactly what he figured was coming. So he explained himself clearly and calmly, "Because I think this situation is screwed up. Julia didn't know she could be held accountable for a released Pokemon's actions. And even so, she couldn't predict that Geraldine would do this."

Detective Holle peered over his shoulder. "Ignorance is no excuse."

"Yes it is!" Nori insisted. "No ment. Um, mens..." What was that term? Whatever, he knew what it meant. "No intent!"

"For someone who had to study the law for his position, you don't seem to know much about it," Detective Holle shook his head. "Not knowing is no excuse. She can and will still be punished for it."

Okay, that was a long shot. "Still!" Nori protested. "Considering things...I mean, I promised I'd help! And it's feel it's the right thing to do!"

The detective paused. He gave two simple words. "Is it?"

Nori took a deep breath, nodding emphatically. "I think it is. Julia has her whole life ahead of her. I feel it's wrong to deny her that when she's so young. Maybe on paper she did mess up, but it's not completely her fault. And we all make mistakes. So the way I see it, she deserves another chance. It'd be a shame if she doesn't get it." He wasn't sure where that came from, but punctuated it by restating his goal with resolution. "That's why I want to help her get that chance."

Quiet. Nori wondered managed to convince him. It would be a miracle if he did. The detective gave no clues as to this. All he did was slow his pace so that he was walking beside Nori. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Mr. Carino," he eventually spoke. "Far too many times I've seen a criminal get out of their punishment. Sometimes it's been on technicalities. Sometimes it's because they've weaseled out of it. Other times it's because they only got a slap on the wrist." Holle gesticulated during this speech, waving his hand and twirling his finger. Finally, he crossed his arms. "Almost all of those times, they have gone on to reoffend." He stepped out in front of Nori and paused. "And the same goes for this girl, too. If she's allowed, she'll just go on to repeat the same mistake again at some point in the future."

"I know she won't!" Nori argued. That logic was ridiculous to him. How could someone even come to a conclusion like that? "People can learn from their mistakes!"

Detective Holle firmly shook his head. "No. They often don't. With Arceus as my witness, I can say that if that girl somehow does go free, she will cause another incident the same way as she did here." He pointed to the heavens as he initially spoke, turning it towards the Lake of Rage when talking about it. "Whatever happens then, in a way, it will be on you." He leveled the finger accusingly in Nori's face. He scowled at the Pokemon rehabiliator, who passively returned the expression. "If she is freed and she goes on to make another poor decision that claims further lives, will you be able to live with yourself? Will you be able to live with the consequences?"

The question caused Nori to briefly hesitate. Could he? Holle smirked at first, it fading as the young official's visage turn to one of steely determination. "Yes," he concluded. Holle had brought up a point, but it didn't take long for him to process it. "Because she deserves the chance to do that in the first place. There's a risk, there always is. But I believe in Julia. I haven't known her for long, but I know she'll make sure she doesn't let this happen again."

The detective scoffed at his answer. "You are naive."

"And you are..." Nori started to fired back, but he couldn't think of a retort. He was keeping his frustration in check, but it finally reached a boiling point. All these questions and all this insane logic. With a growl he yelled, "What are you trying to do?! Dissuade me from this?"

"I'm only telling you all this for your sake!" he ruthlessly admonished. "This is the real world, Nori Carino. Not your idealistic fantasy one! Facts are facts. And the fact is that girl is accountable for what happened at the lake. Nothing is going to change that fact." Nori grumbled, but Holle did not care and continued reprimanding the young man like he was one of his subordinates. "That news interview you did completely disgusted not just me, but several other members of the force as well. Who were you trying to convince by doing that? The fact that you posed as an expert to get that interview speaks volumes about your character. That's a step away from corruption, and I'd strongly advise you do not walk a path of deception. You'll only regret it later."

Nori winced. Called out on that point. He had gotten the idea after talking with Bunston, just using the idea to try to secure the interview. At the very least, it seemed calling him on it was all Holle was going to do. But this just raised questions. "What _are_ you trying to do?" he once again asked the detective.

"I'm trying to guide you down the right path." This time the detective gave a calmer reply, almost an amiable one and decisively filled with consideration. "We have some things in common. You have said in the past you want to make the world a better place, haven't you?"

And now Nori was genuinely stunned. He went white as a sheet, frozen in place. That wasn't his exact words, but it was very close to why he did not want to become a Pokemon trainer like everyone else his age. That was ultimately why he worked with Pokemon, to help out a little bit at a time. Holle was aware of his background, he knew that much from yesterday. But did he really look that far into it?!

Unlike before, Holle didn't show any signs of arrogance. He simply continued, "It's something I can relate to. I do my part by shutting down those who may threaten the world before they can do so."

Nori couldn't say anything or reply. He didn't think that Holle would go to these lengths. But he couldn't say Holle was necessarily wrong in what he was doing, either. Was he in the wrong? Was the detective just trying to stop him before he got too invested? Or stop him before he made a huge mistake?

Seeing the young official's expression, the detective decided that was enough. He gave Nori one last thing before he walked away, "Think about what you're really doing, Mr. Carino. That's all I ask."

* * *

After that incident, Nori continued towards the station at a methodical pace. It took him longer, much longer than he expected. But he needed the time to process things. He couldn't deny any of what the detective had said to him. It was true he had stretched things to get the word out. He still felt it justified, but it made him look bad. Especially in his position. It was experimental. He was the only Pokemon rehabilitator. He would set the standard, and the position's success or discontinuation leaned solely on him.

Connor had said that his interview had helped. Holle had said that it did nothing. Who was right? Had he really made a difference with it? Did he really get the word out that a young girl was suffering for a simple mistake and obscure law? Or did he really only manage to get more people upset with her, like Holle implied? Was Julia being released really the best thing for society? And would they even accept her?

Maybe he was in the wrong. But then again, that was nothing new for him. Being in the wrong and challenging otherwise was how he became a Pokemon rehabilitator in the first place. If it wasn't for him doing that, he wouldn't be here now. Most of all, the pleas of the three friends also weighed heavily on him.

 _"Once you get Julia out, that is!"_

 _"We're counting on you."_

 _"So...what's going to happen to me, Nori?"_

And in his heart, he felt that things were not right. Doing nothing, especially after hearing that, after hearing their fears and confidence in him, just wasn't right. Even if the letter of the law said he was wrong. The law said his Nidorina should have been put down for her aggressive tendencies. But he stepped up and challenged that. In spite of threats, he stood up to give her a chance. And so he would here too.

Even if he had some doubts, he couldn't be afraid. He couldn't falter. For now, he couldn't mind what Holle had said. There were people counting on him, and he was going to see it through. It was wrong to let them down. That's why he was at the Mahogany Police Headquarters on a balmy September day at just past two. He'd gone by a number of school-going children on their way home on his way here. Each of them reminding him of Julia. Not following the same path in life as her, but in a way, they'd just been freed. And she needed to be free too.

"I'd like to see Julia Parisa," he announced to the receptionist. He was there and he was ready. At this moment he was going to take the next step towards helping her out of prison. Nothing else mattered at that point to him.

"Sorry, she's in questioning right now."

"Wha-?"

"Come back in about two hours and she'll be available, okay?"

"Oh...kay." Well, so much for that. Talk about a buzzkill he had no say in. Still, his drive was renewed. He would just have to come back later. Maybe he'd be able to visit with her friends too. He supposed his next course of action would be to see if they'd made progress. He pulled out his skateboard and assembled it as he was walking out of the station. As soon as he made it down the staircase he jumped on it and sped off in the direction of the Pokemon Center.

Not even five seconds after, he nearly collided face-first into someone, swiftly reacting by flipping the board up and skidding to a stop. "Sorry, didn't see you there!"

"It's all right, but you should be more careful." The woman was wearing a black jacket over top a long sleeved purple shirt, simple blue jeans, and black shoes. She examined the person who'd nearly crashed into her. Perhaps it was her parental instincts momentarily taking over that caused her to advise him, "Might I suggest you wear a helmet?"

"Well I don't have to," Nori shrugged as he placed the board down. "Part of why I use it, don't need to lug a helmet around." By contrast he'd have to wear one if it were a bicycle. Besides, there's only so much room in a bag, and it'd look ridiculous to wear a helmet all the time.

"I just don't want you to get into an accident and split your head open..." she continued.

"It's fine, I'm careful." He knew how to break his fall if that happened, and wouldn't do anything silly to get into a dangerous situation in the first place, like try to perform stunts like all the kids he's seen with skateboards. Come to think of it, that's all he ever saw kids do with a skateboard. He briefly glanced at the station. "Visiting?"

"Yes, I came all the way up here because of my daughter," the woman sadly confirmed.

Nori huffed. "It's a shame when a kid gets put in here. Especially since it can be life-ruining." Not just with Julia, but with many others as well. It just wasn't right. He imagine it must be especially hard on a parent like her to see her child condemned like this.

"I know. It's especially hard because my other daughter...no, never mind." Nori got the message, and his thoughts were confirmed from her tone and drooping visage. He shuddered, hoping that if he had kids that he would never have to go through this. Her disheveled light brown hair made Nori wonder if she'd cast aside appearance just to get up here as soon as possible.

And made him blink. "Wait, you look like..." If it were combed, it might look like hers. And those green eyes. The same shade, with the same appearance. And she said she came all the way up here? He hazarded a guess, "Your daughter wouldn't happen to be Julia Parisa, would it?"

The woman's eyes went wide. She almost covered her face in shame but restrained herself. "Yes...yes she is..." Mrs. Parisa sniveled, wiping a tear from her eye. "It's all over the news. I shouldn't be surprised..." The resemblance was apparent.

"I've actually met Julia." Nori supposed she hadn't seen the recent news with his interview. He didn't think he'd actually meet this person, but now that he had, the urge to say what he wanted overtook him. "And it's your fault she's in there!" he suddenly accused, causing Mrs. Parisa to recoil in shock. "You're the one who told her to release the Gyarados. What were you thinking? You wanted a Pokemon that clearly needs professional help to go back to the wild. And on top of it you put all those bad ideas about facilities in her head by saying they euthanize Pokemon there."

Mrs. Parisa was staring downward. Nori failed to notice her trembling as he continued to rant. "You made Julia, no, you threatened your own daughter into releasing Geraldine. And six people and Geraldine died because of it! What were you thinking?! None of this would've happened it wasn't for you!"

"Do you think I haven't realized all that?!" Mrs. Parisa snapped, tears in her eyes. She didn't know how this young man knew all this, but didn't care. "Yes, I know I shouldn't have forced Julia to release that Gyarados. I used to work with Pokemon extensively, so I should have known this could have happened. I wasn't thinking, all I wanted to do was make sure it didn't do any damage under her care." She turned a hateful scowl his way, leveling a finger in his face. "And just who do you think you are, anyway? You come up to me and throw out all these accusations. What makes you think you have the right to patronize me or my family? I didn't drive all this way for nearly a day to get yelled at by some random brat I don't even know!"

Nori was speechless. He couldn't deny any of what she said. He even realized she might have been stressed and still went ahead with it. "I...I'm sorry..."

"You should be sorry! This is none of your business!"

"It is! It really is!" He yanked out and fumbled around with his wallet for a while, eventually presenting his ID card. "I'm sorry, I was out of line. I'm only trying to help, and-"

"Well, you're not helping," she cut off his apology. "I don't know who you are, but if that official's card isn't fake, you're incompetent at your job at best!"

He involuntarily clenched a fist. "Gah, whatever," he flippantly handwaved, putting his card away. He'd already messed up and made the poor impression, and there was no going back. May as well keep riding it, especially in lieu of that comment. "So you're here to see Julia, right?"

And there he was just changing the subject. Yet she admitted she had gotten off-track, so she let it slide with only a look of disapproval. "Not just that," she informed, strictly as a courtesy. She honestly wasn't sure herself why she was telling him this. He hardly deserved to know, but perhaps she just needed to tell someone. She'd made the decision along the way, and hadn't even told her husband. It had come to this. Mrs. Parisa took a deep breath before stating her intentions, "I'm going to go in and take full responsibility for everything."

"You're going to what?!" A terrifying thought instantly popped into the young official's mind.

"I'm the one who made Julia release that Gyarados. It's not her fault this happened." A resigned sigh escaped her, although one that might have been sadder if not for him riling her up. "I feel like I've let both of my daughters down. I can't do much to help Amara at this point, but I don't want Julia to suffer." With this said, she again started towards the station.

Even after their sour conversation, Nori was not going to let that happen. He couldn't. "Mrs. Parisa, please. Don't do this," he beseeched. "You're making a mistake. I mean...please! Listen to me!" He had to run in front of her and physically obstruct her path to get her attention. She attempted to go around him, but Nori kept blocking her. She absolutely had to hear this, and he was going to make sure of it. "There's this detective who works for juvenile services." Mrs. Parisa finally gave up and stopped, intently if impatiently listening to what he had to say. "A real piece of work. He wants Julia severely punished for what she did, and all trying to take the blame yourself is going to do is get you thrown in there as well." Despite briefly thinking that she could do so, after his chat with Holle he knew that it was out of the question. "It's not going to work. There has to be another way!"

Julia's mother closed her eyes and folded her hands. Despite his attitude, this young man did seem genuinely invested in this. Perhaps his warnings were to be heeded. Still, her mind was made up. "I'm sorry. This is the only thing I can do for Julia. If there's any chance I can help her by doing this, I have to take it."

"Mrs. Parisa!" he shouted while raising an arm, but she ignored his further pleas. The woman headed towards the station with haste and disappeared through its doors. Nori's arm slowly fell to his side.

The shock wearing off, he on instinct took some steps forward to follow. Yet he thought better of it. He knew what was likely to happen, and yet all the same it was not a scene he wanted to personally see play out.

The young official suddenly felt physically ill. "You need to get out of here for now!" Nori rasped to himself, skating away as fast as he could. "Go back and reassess!" He knew this was all he could do. And just when he was starting to get some ideas what to do, this happened. The situation had changed, and gotten that much worse.

The question hung in his mind: now what?

* * *

Some of the ways this chapter came together are interesting. The interview was something I was going to show as it happened, but when I decided I wanted to show Holle being interviewed too, decided that the best way was to have people watching the report. So Perrine and Caiseal. And as I sat down to start it I realized I could do a MarJour style flashback - marking it as one and all - to show Julia's arrest.

Connor was another character born of necessity. I wanted to have a place where Nori could go to vent and serve as a home base of sorts, and figured a restaurant a good place to do so. I also wanted a character who could encourage Nori along while indirectly supporting him (compared to Bunston's active role). I thought Lance at first, but decided why not the restaurant owner himself?

Nori's party:

Nidorina (Female, Sassy Nature)  
Ability: Hustle  
Attacks: Take Down, Double Kick, Crunch, Poison Jab

Pawniard (Male, Naughty Nature)  
Ability: Defiant  
Attacks: Fury Cutter, Metal Claw, Slash, Psycho Cut


	4. Chapter 4: Drive

Chapter 4: Drive

Later on after the sun had long since dipped under the horizon, Nori found himself back in Connor's diner. His usual haunt, as it was turning out. In spite of being an hour away from its 11pm closing time, there were still about a dozen other patrons around. Among them was one very atypical guest.

The presence of champion Lance Cipris would be under normal circumstances be enough to make every head in the room turn as well as bring more inside. The people out for a late night meal gave him nothing more than respect and acknowledgement, however. Which worked for him, as he had actually come here to see someone himself rather than the other way around. However, that person was sitting in a booth in the corner by himself.

He briefly glanced over to the young man. "So do you have any idea why he's that way?" the champion asked the owner. He meant this not to pry, but out of curiosity and concern. He found it difficult to believe he was looking at the same in-your-face teenager from a day ago.

"Ain't got a clue for sure," replied Connor, shaking his head. "Just told me it's been a long day. Gave'em a plate of the wife's finest, but didn't seem to cheer him up none." The owner peered at the meatloaf. It was only served for special occasions, and he felt this was one of those. "But it's a fair guess it's related to that lass in jail right now," Connor continued, as he gave the champion's glass a refill. "He's been goin' to bat for her this whole time. Must be gettin' to 'em."

"That's what I came to speak with him about." The champion frowned at the sight of the young official. "I was hoping to have a chat with him to help him understand a few things."

"Well, if you don't get on over there, you might not get another shot at it," Connor advised, as he wiped a glass. "Say what you wanna say, before it's too late."

The champion shook his head. "I am unsure if I want to right now. It may only make things worse with the state he's in."

Connor shrugged. "If that's how ya feel, ain't gonna push ya."

"No, I appreciate it. I simply need to figure out how to word this to him..." Lance took a sip of his wine. White, as he preferred it. He glanced over at Nori again. He knew full well that the young official wasn't going to like what he had to say. There was no sugarcoating it. Yet he also felt that he had to say it for Nori's sake. Even if the truth was painful, it had to be said. But for the moment, he would let the young official have his space.

"This's about that detective, ain't it?" Connor suddenly spoke up. "What you got to say to'em, that is?"

The champion smirked a little. "Mostly, yes. You could tell?"

"Comes with the job," the former baseball player said. "When people come to ya talkin' about their life problems, you soon learn to know what's foulin' them up on instinct." He shrugged, glancing over at Nori. "Ain't like it's a secret he's got problems with that detective, either. Been talkin' about it a bunch, and the man's near the center of this."

The champion took another sip of his wine. "I have heard of Detective Holle before. Yesterday was my first time personally meeting him, however." He looked to his sides and leaned in closer to the owner. "Between us, I have to say he lived up to his reputation." He admitted to himself it was uncouth to say that in his position, but felt he needed to vent a little. He had dealt with frustrating people before, but few on that detective's level.

Connor made a lip-zipping motion. He put the glass he was cleaning away. "Been watchin' the news, lately?"

Lance shook his head. "I rarely get a chance to." With all his responsibilities, he found his personal time somewhat limited. There were moments where he found that frustrating, but he ultimately did not regret being the champion of two regions.

"He's been goin' on there a bunch, too." Connor checked the time. It wasn't quite the hour the news would be on. "Swear they're slantin' things though, and not in his favor either."

"I see." The champion considered this.

A pleasant chiming resonated through the diner. A rather large individual stepped through the door. His black hair was tied back into a greasy ponytail. He wore a black leather jacket over top a white shirt with extra large jeans. Arguably not the best image for someone in his position, but it was difficult to find any other clothes in his size. He spotted Nori and waltzed over to him, standing by the side of the table.

Nori had been poking at his meatloaf. The meal was delicious, but had remained half-eaten for a while. It wasn't that he wasn't hungry, he was simply eating so slowly that it had gone cold and he didn't have the energy to get up to reheat it. He glanced at the stout officer. "Officer Bunston."

"Sir!" he said with a salute. "It was a crazy day at the department today."

"I figured as much." Nori sighed and tried to eat another piece. He forced himself to chew it, warming the piece up with his mouth before harshly gulping it down. "What happened? To Julia's mother, that is?" He knew this was what it was about. He already felt what the answer was going to be, but held out hope. "She told me she was going to take the blame for this, but..."

"So you know, huh?" Bunston didn't need to tell him. The look on his face already told Nori everything. "Well! It didn't go so well. She asked them to let her daughter go because it was her fault she did it. Buuut, they just put her in there with her."

Exactly as he feared. The young official found a brutal dryness rising up in his throat, threatening to suffocate him. He snatched his glass and rushed over to the counter with it in hand. The well dressed owner acted swiftly, filling it in a matter of seconds. No sooner was it back in Nori's hands than he was guzzling it.

The chestnut-haired teenager wheezed. "Gahh...I knew it. I just knew it. I told her it was a bad idea and she still did it." He uncontrollably belched from the carbonation of the drink, but didn't care.

Bunston followed along. "Holle gave her a good tongue-lashing too. He said things like, 'you threatened your daughter and caused this', 'you recommended a Pokemon that needed help be released', and stuff like that."

Nori suddenly felt disgusted with himself. "I wish I hadn't said those things to her too. I didn't give a good impression at all. If I did would she have listened to me?" He downed the remainder of his drink and slammed the glass down. "This is all that detective's fault," he complained. "If it wasn't for him pushing so hard, maybe people would have the sense to see how screwed up this is. A girl thrown in jail for trying help a Pokemon. Her mother now in there with her." He growled. "If that detective wasn't such a hardheaded clod maybe they wouldn't be in there."

"He is who he is," Connor remarked, filling the glass with more ginger ale without being prompted. He figured that Nori was going to need it soon anyway. "People get stuck in their ways. The longer they've been thinkin' a certain way the harder it becomes to change that view. Heck, even I got some habits I wanna kick but can't."

"That's about right," Bunston spoke, leaning against the counter. He made a motion with his fingers to be slid a drink, that went unseen or uncared for. "Sounds like it anyways."

"Still!" Nori gasped. "That's..." The words in his throat failed to come up, choking him. He took another gulp of his beverage to help with that, but by then he'd forgotten what he wanted to say. He hated that.

The large officer shrugged. "Oh!" he suddenly remembered. "And he also said, 'you are a negligent mother' too."

Nori clenched his fists, a fierce scowl instantly adorning his visage. "What?! Is that even okay for him to say that?" Admonishing is one thing, but that was a straight-up personal attack. In that one instant, any respect the detective may have earned earlier today vanished entirely. He couldn't believe he even listened or seriously considered anything that Holle said.

"I know, right? I was surprised too." The officer said this, but his tone indicated he was jaded about the issue. "He's spoken to parents who've came in to see their kids before. He's even scolded some of them for things, but not like this. Never seen him lay into anyone like he did today." The stout man shrugged. "Nothing came of it, so guess it was fine for him to say it."

Nori shut his eyes tight. Never mind being able to do so and get away with it. Why do so? That was rubbing salt in the wound. Just like he was before. The young official's limbs quivered. The detective's claims that they weren't so different from each other were ringing truer than he was comfortable with.

There was something about Holle that rubbed him the wrong way, besides this and all he'd seen. He couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever it was, it was something he didn't want to be himself. "It just doesn't make sense. None of this does! Is he really getting away with all this?" He looked over at anyone in particular, trying to get the attention of anyone nearby. "And what about Julia? Are they really going to condemn her for all this?!"

"Nori..." the champion suddenly spoke up, getting the young official's attention. After a thoughtful pause that Nori swore was hesitation, he followed up. "I think you should understand exactly what it is you're dealing with here."

Nori had barely noticed the champion was here. He rolled his eyes at first. Was everyone finding him here just from that interview? Well, he was here to see him. And he had tried to stick up for Julia himself. It seemed he had a better idea of what was going on. He should be able to help. "What do you mean by that?"

The champion's heart visibly weighed heavily on him as he prepared to speak. "Julia...she is in a very difficult situation right now. There are a lot of factors that are working against her. The circumstances behind her capturing the Gyarados is one of them. The opinion is that this never would have happened if she had not went into the Team Rocket base on her own. There is also the fact that the Gyarados took lives. That alone would be enough for a trainer to end up on the blacklist permanently. There are the victims' families to consider as well."

"What about her?!" Even given that, the young official felt that was very wrong. With Pokemon such an integral part of society that was essentially condemning a person for the rest of his or her life. It would be one thing if it were an unapologetic person ordering a purposeful attack. But an accident? "She had nothing to do with it rampaging!" he argued. "It happened under such obscure circumstances, too!" He only knew about it due to having to study every facet of the law as it pertains to owning Pokemon. To wit, every patron in the diner who was willing to lend an ear to him didn't know you could be charged for actions a released Pokemon takes. Some even said it was absurd, like that reporter.

"Yes, that is a good point," the champion conceded. "However, there are those who do not see it that way. Detective Holle in particular." He shook his head. "He's been with the Mahogany police for over three decades, working in juvenile services for most of that time. He's well-respected. Even other districts sometimes turn to him for advice in matters."

"How can anyone respect a man like that?!" the teenaged official snapped. "It's like he has no sympathy at all!"

"Yes, he does have a reputation for being harsh. However, he did not get to his position because of that." Nori rolled his eyes at that. You can earn your spot, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want from there. "People say his harshness is him sticking to the book, and not allowing his judgment to be clouded. As you saw, even my own intervention did not amount to much. I put in a recommendation to her through the officials, but the case remains in his hands for now." Nori tilted his head. That was possible?

The champion placed a hand on his chin. "I suspect the department put Detective Holle on this case to deal with it decisively, what with the problems with all the captured Team Rocket members. It's unfortunate. The charges for this can vary, but with him heading things, Julia will be lucky if she only gets put on the blacklist."

The young official almost spoke up, but the words came out as just a grunt. This was ridiculous. So it really was that detective responsible for all this.

Lance paused. "I hate to say this..." he slowly said. "But there's not much that can be done for Julia."

"No." Nori's response was immediate. "You're wrong! I don't believe it!" he yelled. "There has to be something I can do!" He didn't care that he was drawing attention. He wanted it that way.

"Sir..." Bunston said, unable to find any further words for the rehabilitator. The chubby officer had not expected such a strong reaction from him. Connor remained silent, a worried look on his face.

"I know this is difficult to accept." Lance tried his best to comfort Nori with his tone, but didn't want to lie to him either. "But the department supports Detective Holle's decisions. If there was something more I could do, believe me, I would have done it already."

"Quitters can't win!" he fired back. "I refuse to accept that there's no options! There's a way out of anything. A solution to everything! You just have to find it!"

The young official slapped payment for his food down in front of Connor and ran out the door. Getting away from there was a priority. As far as he was concerned, the diner was not a healthy place to be at that moment, and he needed to be away from it.

* * *

Nori had chosen to stay at a small local hotel during his extended time in Mahogany. He had wanted to be in a place that was more private and quiet than the typical Pokemon Center some travelers might rely on, yet felt no need to break the bank either. It cost him a bit of money he had to pay from pocket, sure, but it was money that would've gone into other expenditures anyway. May as well use it to make staying here a bit more comfortable.

The Kunoichi's Rest got its name from allegedly being the site of an old ninja hideout. The town's motto stated that it was home to ninjas, but he hadn't seen anything to suggest that. Even this place he was staying felt more like a modern day lodging establishment than repurposed ninja hideout. He had no complaints about it, that said. Packed into one little room was a sofa bed with green and white quilts, with lamps and a clock radio on cabinets beside it. He heard there were futons here, but that was either a lie or they were only in certain rooms. Also in this room was a small black television with basic cable and built-in VCR, a tea table and mat, and a small bathroom with a shower. About as much as he could ask for.

Nori plopped down on the bed with a huff. He thought that Lance was a valiant champion. Someone who would always fight for what is right, putting that even before his position if need be. A true representative of not just one, but two regions. Yet hearing him say those words in the diner betrayed his expectations.

 _"There's not much that can be done for Julia."_

Nori thought that was the same as giving up. How someone who gave up like that could ascend to the level of the best trainer in two regions was a miracle. "If that champion wasn't so defeatist about this..." Maybe then he would have a better shot at saving Julia. The young official shook his head at himself. No, he had to take his mind off that. That's what he came here to get away from.

He laid back on the bed, trying to think about anything but the incident. He figured if he could just clear his thoughts, maybe he'd be able to see things from a different angle.

The Pokemon rehabilitator sat in silence for several minutes before he began to shake. Was it cold in here? He grabbed the covers and wrapped himself in them. No luck, he was still shaking. He snapped to his feet and made a beeline for the thermostat. He flicked the heat on and marched back, again cocooning himself in the bedsheets. After about a minute, warmth began to circulate through the room. But that did not help either. There was something wrong in there.

Agitated. He got up and turned the ceiling light off, figuring that what was bothering him. He sat down once more. He didn't even bother with the covers this time. The shadows and lack of light did soothe him momentarily, but he still felt something tugging at his mind. He fell over on his side, struggling to get comfortable. He couldn't. This was environmental. It wasn't the temperature. It wasn't the light. And it wasn't that the bed wasn't cozy, it was. He just couldn't find comfort here. "Ugh, why can't I relax?" he asked aloud. The silence that answered pierced his ears, and only then did he realize what the problem was.

It was too quiet and too lonely in here.

Stumbling to his feet, he switched on the TV to see if a bit of background noise would help. It took about ten seconds for the clunky box to flicker to life, and when it did he found it was already set to channel 3. Given the late hour, it came as no surprise to him that the news was on. He had tuned in to see what seemed to be the tail end of a report. The content of it wasn't apparent from the very end, but the backdrop of the largest city in Johto was unmistakable. It was one of the places he would've visited, given some of its similarities to his hometown.

It was not even half a minute before the scene shifted back to the studio. A bald anchorman in a dark blue suit segued into the next report, "New developments tonight in the Red Gyarados case. The mother of the suspect, Kassia Parisa, turned herself in to police earlier today after admitting she ordered her daughter to release the Gyarados. Reporter Nadia Schrader-"

Nori immediately jabbed the channel up button changing onto static. He did not need that shoved in his face right now. He continued to search through channels, most of which were white noise. He skipped over one that was playing commercials, eventually landing on a channel playing what looked to be a late-night sitcom.

The scene could have come from the beginning of any aspiring trainer's journey. A lab drenched in white, an old professor, an aspiring young trainer who hadn't hit his teens yet, and what seemed to be a young female lab assistant a few years older than him. He rolled his eyes at how the last of them was dressed. More than likely trying to appeal to a certain demographic.

 _"Professor Maple!" the lab assistant complained, tightly clutching her chest. "That boy tried to touch my Poke Balls!"_

 _"Oh, come on!" the trainer pleaded. "I was just trying to get a Pikachu."_

Nori glared deadpan. Those were jokes a six-year-old could've made. When an obnoxious laugh track followed that tried to make it seem like the most hilarious thing ever, he just turned the TV off.

He sat back down with a sigh. There may as well have been nothing on. Nothing to take his mind off things. He was hoping to clear his mind and hopefully see things from another angle, but it seemed there would be no such luck. Lance's words once against played back in his mind.

 _"There's not much that can be done for Julia."_

That's what they had said about his Nidorina. That's what all the so-called experts said about her. They said she was beyond helping, that certain things needed to happen to protect society. But when Nori first saw the light blue Pokemon, hiding beneath his house's porch, he didn't see a dangerous beast. He saw a creature desperately trying to survive, despair that she might be facing her final moments.

That's when he knew what was the right thing to do.

They made all these threats, tried to dissuade him from even making the attempt to help her. He didn't care and stood his ground. And now he found himself in much the same situation. Someone facing a dire fate. Those seeking to sentence her to that fate. And people saying to him he was fighting a hopeless battle.

Back then he didn't have a problem in the face of adversity. He knew what he had to do and he did it. He had no doubts, and his insecurities just weren't a factor. What was different between then and now? What could he apply to this situation? Memories of that day played through his mind.

* * *

He had been standing in a room darker than the one he was in. A hallway that was pitch black, the only light being faint and off in the distance, the ones illuminating the stands in the arena. Just enough to tell where he was going, but not enough to see properly. His Nidorina stood beside him, displeased at the ridiculous spectacle this was turning out to be. Nori had a general idea, he knew from hearing about it what he may have been in for. Even regular trainers were subjected to the fantastical presentation of the battles here. But this was more excessive than he ever could have imagined.

"Ladies and gentlemen," boomed a voice over the PA system, "You are about to bear witness to a very special gym battle here. Today the stakes are not about a badge. They aren't about pride. They aren't even about Pokemon beating each other up for the fun of it!" The crowd roared, and Nori figured from the sounds of it, a full house had gathered. "Today is about survival. Today is about proving a point. The challenger has promised to defeat the gym leader today in a one-on-one match, in a battle of Poison Pokemon! He has vowed to prove the Demon Nidorina can be reformed. There will be drastic consequences for the two of them if he fails to show this."

The light blue Pokemon chuckled on hearing what they had been calling her. "Are you ready?" Nori asked. She gave a determined snort in response. She knew it was do or die, and certainly did not intend to die here.

"Coming in first, the young man here to challenge, and the one who made this ridiculously bold claim. A resident of our fair city, Nori Carino!"

On cue the pair walked out. A chorus of boos serenaded them into the arena. Nori's march turned into a walk, which slowed to a crawl as the crowd unleashed their visceral hatred on him. He had heard the gym leader had her fans who would attend every match and boo all her challengers on the basis of being her opponent. But this was beyond that. There were all sorts of people here. A class of young children, the news media, a youth protest group, several official looking types, the aforementioned fans of the gym leader, and various random spectators.

Nori was prepared for hostility. He'd seen the reports about himself, many people deriding him as an insane kid throwing his life away, a horrible human being for daring to defend a monster, and so on. But he was not prepared for hostility of this magnitude. All he was able to do was stare at the people shouting and hissing at him.

"You suck, Carino!"

"Prepare to lose the fight and your freedom, kid!"

"I can't believe you would support a defect like that!"

So bothered was he that the hated Pokemon actually stood in front of him to see if he was all right. He wasn't. He thought he could push it all to the back of his mind. But with all this, he found it difficult to do so. All manners of negative chatter from direct insults to disappointed comments were being thrown around.

"He should've given up while he could."

"I never thought someone could be this stupid..."

"My mommy says you're a bad kid!"

"That Pokemon is a menace."

"He's a menace, too!"

The young trainer drooped. He'd heard of gang leaders and criminal masterminds getting a warmer reception than he was getting. He thought it'd be mixed at best. But as he scoured the crowd he saw countless people rambunctiously rallying against him.

That's when he saw that person. A serene picture of stillness in a raging ocean. Looking his way and giving him a warm smile. The only person who supported him through his training. Here as promised, and unafraid to express being one of the only people cheering him on.

Nori felt a surge of confidence rising within. He did have support here. He was not alone. Mustering his mischievous side, he fired back at the crowd.

"We're going to win this, whether you idiots like it or not!" He punctuated it with some boisterous gestures that only made the crowd madder. The Demon Nidorina grinned twistedly at this. His friend in the crowd was bemused by this defiant or even rebellious response. He nodded and grinned to both his friend and his Nidorina. Even if he was hated for it, he came here to fight. And fight he would. Nori stomped to his place on the battlefield with a renewed determination and knowledge that he had support behind him.

(End flashback)

* * *

That's what it was. Support.

That day was his first real step towards becoming a Pokemon rehabilitator. He defied the doubters by not only earning a passing grade with his efforts, but exceeding expectations as well. It was what led him to his position. And as a sort of reward for the training and lessons he underwent, this trip.

But that was several months ago. Right now he was a lone vacationer in Johto in a situation he never imagined he'd find himself in here. All his friends were back home, including that person. The worst part about it was that he actually had the chance to invite someone along for this vacation. He asked that friend, but she had to decline because of her duties taking priority. No one else took him up on it, either.

That meant there was no one to lean on during this all. Sure, this time he had a couple other people helping him, but it wasn't the same. And back then, his only opponent was a gym leader to prove himself to. Here he had enemies seeking not only destruction of that which he hoped to protect, but to undermine him as well.

There was no denying to himself that the pressure was starting to get to him. The odds were not in his favor here. There was help and support back then, even if it was just a little. But he was on his own for this. Most importantly, he had one day left before he had to return. One day left to make a difference. And he still had no idea how he was going to do that.

He retrieved the Poke Ball of the one-time demon, gazing at it thoughtfully. His loyal companion since that day. He had helped her, but he had no idea how he was going to help Julia.

"What am I supposed to do...?"


	5. Chapter 5: To Remain True

Chapter 5: To Remain True

Late morning was one of the more lively times of day in Mahogany, and the day being a Saturday compounded this liveliness. Children treasured the brief respite from school, and were active even with a sheet of clouds and the tragedy of several days ago hanging over the town. Adults often looked forward to it as well, being able to spend some time to relax and focus on their personal affairs with the day off from work. With each new day, it brought forth opportunity, and there were those who, even at times like this, were not going to rest on their laurels and take it easy.

Detective Frederick Holle among them. He was sitting in his personal office, a privilege from being the head of a division. He ensured the room was always well lit. Natural light filtered in from the large window behind him during the day, with violet drapes on either side. Lamps above and on his desk provided white light when wanted or needed. Along the left side of the room from his perspective were a number of filing cabinets that contained all his case files, grouped alphabetically. Opposite them were shelves with law books, other reading material, and trophies that he had earned over the decades. The floor around his desk was covered in a gold and white silk carpet. The desk itself was made of mahogany like many of the high ranked officers' furnishings, the chief's idea of irony. He always made sure to keep it sorted and clean-looking, even when there were numerous things cluttering it like there was at that moment.

The detective was furiously writing in his notebook. He still could not believe that woman who came in here yesterday, begging to be arrested in her daughter's place. He was more than happy to oblige with the arrest portion, at least. Scum like her who led a youth to crime deserved to be locked up and have the key thrown away. Of course, her daughter still had done wrong, and he was going to see she was punished for it regardless of excuses others made for her. The only thing that woman did right was having the decency to turn herself in. That's perhaps the only reason they'd even think of leniency towards her.

Though on the other hand, she demolished all that goodwill by threatening to sue the department for allegedly treating her daughter poorly. He chuckled to himself, knowing she did not have a legal leg to stand on. They had been treating her daughter exactly to protocol. There was no argument to be had. Even if there was, they had a defense. There had been an influx of prisoners in the holding cells due to the raid at the Team Rocket base. Even if it had been a little over a week since then, there were still many who had yet to be processed. That meant they couldn't afford to give special accommodations to anyone.

A knocking at his office's door brought him out of his thoughts, "Mr. Holle," an officer with a bushy black mustache spoke as he poked his head in. "I have some reports for you." He looked about, entering with a measure of hesitation in his step. "I'm...not interrupting your work, am I?"

"No, the paperwork can wait. Come on in. And stop being so meek." Holle was well aware of how some of the force acted guarded around him. It was to his benefit when he needed it to be, but seeing his subordinates do it annoyed him. Even in his presence, he expected them to carry themselves with dignity and confidence.

"Y-yes, Mr. Holle!" came the instantaneous response. Entering with artificial pride, he swiftly marched over to the desk, presenting two clips of papers in either hand upon getting there. "Here you are, these were just sent in. The charges in both the cases you're handling are expected to be made official on Monday." He put them down for the detective to examine for himself.

"Excellent," Holle said, as he gave the documents a brief glancing over. They had come in from the head magistrate of Johto's police. As he had thought, this was only a formality. "Nice and swift. Exactly how I like it." He periodically nodded as he pored over the documents in further detail. "No issues with the Parisa case despite that hiccup yesterday, either." He would have been annoyed if that woman's confession had drawn things out, but it appeared to have a minimal effect at best.

"Great, great." His subordinate nodded several times in succession, before tapping his chin. "By the way, I swear I heard that name Parisa sometime before this, but don't remember where."

Without so much as a beat, Holle answered, "Most likely from her sister's case, Amara Parisa." The detective actually had that case file on his desk, pulling it out to show to his subordinate. "Wanted on counts of larceny, assault and battery, Pokemon cruelty, and training Pokemon whilst on the blacklist. Among other sins and offenses." He shook his head with disgust. Evidence that they blacklist people for a reason. "I first heard about her earlier this year from my counterparts down in Violet. Her rap sheet has grown considerably since then."

The mustached man clenched a fist. "Oh, Arceus. How've they not caught her yet?"

Holle shook his head in disgust again. "That's beyond me. But given her recent movements, it'll only be a matter of time before she's in here too."

"Seems the whole family is bad in some way..." Detective Holle shrugged at this response, putting the Amara Parisa case back in place. He had planned to use it if need be to call the whole family's judgment into question, but with the news he had just been delivered it appeared unnecessary. People had sense. His subordinate snickered. "A mother who led them to this, one daughter who's becoming a career criminal, and another who...well. It's kind of a shame about her, if you think about it. She's nothing like them at all."

Holle's face instantly soured. The officer shrank back simply from this glare. "Are you really allowing yourself to be taken in by those cries of pity? The only ones who deserve pity are the ones making those pleas. They're pathetic. A crime is a crime, no matter the circumstance. Whining won't absolve a person of his or her crimes or magically make them less of a crime." His stunned subordinate nodded, but still wore doubts on his face. Noticing this, the detective stood up and walked over to him. "Listen to me. It is our job to protect the region from the young delinquents of today so that they do not become the criminals of tomorrow. The only thing these hoodlums understand is punishment. It's the only way to drill the message into their heads."

With a serious look, he continued. "Now, this is a bit of a different situation, but the same rules apply. She is responsible for her own actions and will have to suffer the consequences. And I do not believe this girl has the capacity to learn from this incident." This was his usual way of wording it. Perhaps it was unfitting in this case due to her condition, but he was not considering it in making this decision. "As I mentioned before, I'm pushing for permanent blacklisting along one year imprisonment, followed by four years probation with mandatory community service through the duration." The maximum sentencing possible under these circumstances. It certainly helped that the permanent blacklisting was typical when deaths were involved. His eyes briefly darted to the ceiling before coming to rest back on the man before him. "I admit, I also want an example to be made of her. Don't take on a Pokemon you can't handle, or suffer the consequences."

His subordinate slowly nodded. "I get it," he acknowledged. It made sense. "If you punish someone like her severely, it'll make other would-be delinquents behave. So you prevent crime in the process."

Holle smirked in approval. He patted his subordinate on the shoulder. "You're a good man, Pools." Though a rookie, he was learning the ropes swiftly. "You'll make a fine member of the force someday. Both you and your partner. You both have already been doing an excellent job during this incident."

"Thank you, Mr. Holle! We will!" Holle smiled further. People who thought the same as him were those he would rely on. It pleased him to see this man come around to his line of thinking. If there were more people like that, the world would be a far better place for it. A little praise helped cement it. Pools spoke up, "If I may voice a concern though, there's a couple things on my mind."

The detective nodded his approval. "If you have something to say, say it."

"Well for one, the Parisa case is getting a lot of coverage on the press," the young officer said. He was sure that his superior had seen it too. He had always been used to the media being an extension of promoting justice. Yet it almost seemed like recent reports had been trying to call attention to matters, and not in their favor.

"Don't worry about the media. They're allowed to put out what they want," Holle brushed off. "We're not obligated to pay them any mind."

"I see." A simple and to the point answer. It satisfied Pools, so he moved on to his second concern, "But more importantly, there's that teenaged kid who calls himself an official that's been hanging around." It was certainly his interview on the news that was responsible for calling attention to this media.

"Do not get me started on him," the dark uniformed detective scoffed. "I have no idea why they decided to give him his position, but what he's doing now only furthers my belief he's a disgrace." He'd heard everything about this person, the circumstances behind him obtaining his position and what happened in the aftermath. "It's clear he's learned nothing since he became an official. He's just some idealistic kid who thinks he knows how the adult world works. I tried to help him understand, I tried to explain things to him yesterday, but it seems he's chosen to ignore what I said. So now he's going to find out the hard way. He's going to have to face reality soon. That girl threw her life away. And he's going to have to accept that no matter how much he tries to fight it. Justice WILL be served."

Pools chuckled deviously. He always enjoyed seeing people get a cruel dose of reality. "Speaking of which, I got word he's visiting her now. Should we...?" He let his question hang in the air with a grin.

Holle shook his head. "There's no need to. Let them have their moment."

* * *

Indeed, Nori was in the holding area's visitation room with Julia. He'd decided to come as early as he could manage this time, which worked out to be now. The room they were in, one of four in the station, was nondescript. Two chairs on either side of a thick pane of glass which separated the two. Both a guard who was still as a statue and a surveillance camera were keeping watch.

Though they exchanged greetings on sight, a brief but awkward silence drew over them afterwards. Julia sitting with her hands folded, unsure what to say. She glanced back at the guard, unused to others blatantly listening in on her conversations. Nori to contrast was sitting patiently and looking at Julia expectantly.

He noted she was wearing a much better look on her face today. Obviously tired and worn out, but far from the scared and crying visage he saw before. As for the clothes she was wearing though, she had on the same white shirt and pink shorts as when they met. More importantly, it seemed to him they appeared in desperate need of a wash, with wrinkles decorating the fabric and stains from various sources visible. A few of the latter looked like they tried to be cleaned, unsuccessfully.

Nori eventually sighed. There was no use remaining silent like this, May as well open proper conversation himself. "So, how are you feeling today?" he asked. The obvious question to ask, especially given, "Yesterday was probably crazy for you."

Her gaze went to the guard momentarily, but did reply in spite of his presence. "I'm okay," she blatantly lied, or at the very least unconvincingly brushed off. "Yesterday was a surprise, but...not completely a bad one." In truth, she was just trying to be brave and stay optimistic. It was nice to see her mother again, even if the circumstances were the worst possible. Her eyes involuntarily darted down, catching sight of her outfit. She sighed. "Really wish I could change my clothes, though."

So it wasn't just him. "Can't you ask to have some delivered?" he asked the obvious, just in case it really hadn't occurred.

"There's some clothes in my bag, but they haven't let me get them." She had asked, but every time was either ignored or told her bag and its contents were being held in evidence until further notice. "At least mom was able to clean these up a bit. She's been trying to help get me get a change of clothes, too."

"O-Oh!" That's right. He kind of needed to address that. "So about what I said to your mother-" he tried to begin, but couldn't find the words. He wasn't sure how to explain he'd got into an argument with her. Actually, Julia probably had already heard herself. So scratch that. He wasn't sure how to explain himself.

His fears were quashed when the dark brown haired girl vaguely smiled. "It's okay," she reassured him. "I talked to her a bit. She understands you just felt very strongly about what happened." Nori almost recoiled in his surprise. Julia stood up for him? Guess that was her way of returning the favor for vowing to help her. That was one load off his mind. The green eyed girl frowned. "And apparently she got it far worse from that detective."

"I heard." And it still bothered him. Being on the same level as Holle in any way was nothing short of perturbing.

"Mom knows you really are trying to help, though. She also asked me to tell you she's sorry for calling you incompetent and a brat."

"That's okay. And tell her I'm sorry for lashing out at her how I did, too." He'd already done that, but it wouldn't hurt doing it again. "Thanks for talking to her."

"You're welcome. And I will." She nodded at the young official. Taking a look at him though, she noted dark bags under his eyes. "You look like you haven't gotten much sleep, Nori."

"I've been up all night thinking, that's why." He had only a day left in Johto before his flight back home. He needed to pull out all the stops today. That said, something kept eating at his mind. Why was Julia so calm? Well, he couldn't mind that for now. "Thinking about how to help you out of here."

"Really?" The brown haired girl was in awe. "You were?"

He confirmed. "Keep doing what I'm doing. I figured that if I could discredit what they're saying about you, that might mean they could see you're a good person." He'd be the first to admit that was flimsy, but he could only think of one other thing. "And it's a long shot, but I might see if I can have some strings pulled for you." He was an official, after all. If Lance could do it, maybe he had the ability to directly influence this. He wouldn't know unless he tried. "How about your friends? Do they have ideas? I know they came to see you, and Perrine was thinking about lawyers." He had seen them this morning, but hadn't interacted with them. They rightfully were looking very depressed, probably having heard of Julia's mother's arrest themselves.

"She tried, but her parents said something about their lawyers not knowing stuff like this." That was interesting. Nori himself knew laws, as part of becoming an official. But he didn't know much about how the legal system really worked. "Mom said it's not worth it, anyway. Plus she doesn't want to burden dad with the costs we won't get much out of." So it seems that approach was a dead end after all. He was trying to think of anything else when he girl let out a heavy sigh that made him shudder. The type of sigh that said he would not like what she had to say next.

"Well, you don't know unless you try!" he declared, cutting in to try to delay whatever it was. "You don't know if you'll get much out of it or not unless you check and see for sure!" In fact he was dead positive that if her father was worth anything, he'd be looking at one anyway.

"No, it's fine. And also...I've been thinking." Nori steeled himself for whatever was to come. "I've been talking to my mother about some things. She was trying to help me out and got put in here because of it. And I don't want the same to happen to you." She looked at Nori, her eyes holding a peace in them yet at the same time drooping. "It's okay. You don't have to do any of this for me. I'll accept whatever happens from here."

The young official gritted his teeth. Any shock and confusion was dulled by his anger. What had happened to make her so resigned all of a sudden?! Had this been Holle's work? He thought back to his own conversation with the detective yesterday. Back then that jerk of a detective was trying to make him face reality, in his words. Could he have broken her down, made her think her fate was inevitable?

First that jerk detective. Then Mrs. Parisa. Then Lance the dragon master. Her friends were getting pessimistic this morning. And now even Julia herself was telling him to give up and let this go. It was like everyone was either telling him to stay out of this or giving up hope, one by one.

None of that mattered though. He gave a determined, defiant shake of the head. "I can't do that."

To say Julia was horrified was an understatement. "But...you could go to jail!" she protested. Rather, she was begging him not to go through with it. "I don't want you to end up in here too. Please, you don't have to do this for me!"

She must have been confused. After all, her mother had tried to help her in her own way, and she got put in prison. But that didn't mean he would too. "No I won't," he explained. "Not if I don't do anything to warrant it." He took a deep breath. This wasn't just about proving that detective wrong. Sure, it was motivation, but that wasn't the point of this. "Besides, there's another reason why I can't agree to let this go."

"What's that?"

Nori had done a lot of thinking last night. A lot. The fruits of his efforts was that he finally had his answer. His motivation, his drive. The reason why he felt he could not give up, beyond his own moral views and conscience.

He brought out his Pokemon, who stood on either side of him. Julia recognized one as a Nidorina much like hers, but she could tell from how this one was built and the look in her eyes this specimen wasn't anything like hers. The other she didn't recognize, a small black and red thing with blades on its body. If only she had her Pokedex she could scan it and know.

"See, I became a Pokemon rehabilitator to make a difference. To help others, just like these guys. People gave up on my Nidorina and Pawniard for being difficult, but not me. I know you're not what I'd usually help, but I feel I have the power to help you." He looked back and the two Pokemon an assuring smile. "In a way, I feel like I'd be doing them a disservice if I didn't do everything I could to save someone. Because I don't want to give the impression that I'd ever give up on any of them. So I'm not going to give up on you, either."

Julia's eyes went wide. She didn't need to be able to understand Pokemon to tell the Pawniard was displeased at being here. The Nidorina appeared more at ease, but had a certain unnerving look in her eye. Nori may have been putting it lightly when he was describing them as difficult. "Um, your Pokemon don't seem like they want to be out here..." She gestured with a shaking finger.

He turned back and saw his Pawniard's unamused glare and crossed arms. "Oh! Sorry." He swiftly recalled them, Nidorina as well even though she didn't seem to care too much. "Er, guess I got too demonstrative, huh?" Julia chuckled slightly. "But...yes. That's why I want to do this. Even though there are people who might not like me for it. I'm used to it." He had already realized this from the moment he got into this, from his past experience. "To do right, you sometimes have to go against the flow. And, well, more importantly, I realized something through all this." He took another deep breath. This would certainly be a choice that was going to shape what he would be moving forward. "I know my position involves helping Pokemon, but I want to do more than that. I want to make it more than that, to help Pokemon AND people."

When she woke up this morning, Julia had decided she wanted to be brave. She told her mother she wasn't going to cry anymore. Yet she found herself tearing up at these words anyway. If she were in Nori's position, she'd find it hard to give up too. She had never wanted to give up on Geraldine. She wouldn't have done so if she weren't forced into doing it. And if he didn't want to let his own Pokemon down, or her down, she could relate. They were the same views on people and Pokemon as she had, after all.

No longer containing her emotions, her tears gave way to a smile. It wasn't being herself to bottle it up, anyway. As far as she saw it, Nori was now more than just some random samaritan who wanted to help her. He was on the level of Perrine and Caiseal. That gave her all the more reason for her to be concerned, though. "Thank you," she sniffed. "Just...promise me this."

"Yes?" Nori asked.

She got up close to the glass, her eyes pleading with him. This time not out of worrying about a stranger, but caring about a friend. "Don't do anything to get yourself put in here too, okay? Promise?"

"Okay, I promise. And I also promise I'll do whatever I can to save you and your mother."

Internally, Julia had her doubts. Anyone challenging the authorities would have a difficult time considering how powerful they were, let alone someone like Nori. She didn't think they'd listen to someone his age, let alone someone who acted how he normally did. Yet the determined look in his eyes gave her some assurance. "I hope you can," the brown-haired girl mused. She did want to stay optimistic, so all she could do was believe in Nori.

Nori stood up and stretched. "Guess I better get moving, then. Not gonna accomplish anything sitting around here."

"Okay," Julia nodded, giving him a kind wave. "See you later."

"Later, Julia!" And with that said, Nori picked up his stuff and left the visiting room. It was time to hunker down and figure things out.

* * *

Lunchtime at Connor's was by far its busiest hour. Mahogany citizens and tourists seemed drawn to the retro Unovan diner at that moment of the day over any other time. A recent feature on it had served to bolster its notoriety. And more notably, how it featured in the background of a certain interview. Not everyone watches features, but people who hadn't seen the colorful building before saw it there and had their curiosity piqued. Connor didn't take the extra fame for granted. Nor were the reasons behind it lost on him. He just continued on doing what he always did - trying his best to make sure his guests would leave with smiles and full bellies, wanting to come back for more in the future.

The former baseball player slapped down a plate with two corndogs on it in front of one of his finest customers to date. "Here ya go son. You askin' for these was way outta left field, but I did my best." These were not something even on his menu. But he figured trying was the least he could do for Nori given the publicity he had brought to his establishment. He just skewered a hot dog and wrapped in in a bread roll. Hardly the same as a real one, but it was the most he could do at such short notice.

"Thanks," Nori said. He'd heard of these before and that they were popular in Unova. But he had never gotten to try them until now. He picked one up and took a bite. "Mmmm..." he vocalized, while chewing. It felt plain. "It's all right, but it's missing something."

"Try with some ketchup!" Connor recommended. Nori appraised the red bottle before him. "Just put some on your plate and dab'em in."

He did as suggested. His eyes stretched on taking the next bite, now coated in the red condiment. "That's what it was." It just needed some added texture. "These are really good."

Connor flashed his shining grin. "Glad they turned out okay. Should see if ya can try the real deal sometime!"

"I will, if I can find any." He only very recently had started going shopping for himself, so he had no idea what stores would carry them. Nori methodically worked down the pair of makeshift corndogs, accompanied by the occasional sip of water. When he was finished, he thanked Connor again, and sat quietly at the counter.

"So how goes the fight?" the diner owner asked. He was always willing to lend an ear to people. But with regulars he would occasionally decide to take a more direct approach.

"Not too hot," Nori admitted. He might say otherwise if there were relevant people about. But in here with strangers he felt comfortable with full disclosure. "I did go and see Julia this morning. We talked for a bit, and I told her why I'm trying to keep at it." He sighed. "But, truth is, I was mostly spouting a bunch of things to make her feel better." Maybe that was an exaggeration, but it wasn't that far from the truth either. "I have some ideas of what I want to do. But I'm not sure. I've been going in circles a lot lately. Wasting all this time...and worse yet, my flight back home is tomorrow."

"Guess you really gotta start steppin' it up now," Connor said.

The young official sighed. "This is my fault. I should've been trying harder this whole time." If it hadn't been for doing a whole lot of nothing, he wouldn't be in this situation with so much to do and so little time to do it in.

"Just don't go stressin' too much about this all now, hear? That'll only make it worse. Let it come natural." He'd heard stories like this many times. From salarymen struggling to meet deadlines to schoolkids stressing about homework. He even gone through it himself trying to cram in practice before huge games. From that past firsthand experience, he felt he could give sage advice to anyone in this position.

Nori shook his head at himself, unable to deny that. "Yeah, and I hope to step it up." He looked down at the floor for a moment. "I guess what's most discouraging is that I'm fighting this on my own. I doubt even more than a handful of people are supporting me, if that."

"Now that ain't true at all," Connor laughed, standing firm and scanning over all his customers. He spoke as loud as he could without actually shouting, his baritone voice reaching all corners of the building. "Ain't no one in this diner who wants to see that girl get dinged for this. Right?" When the owner asked, a whole bunch of people in the restaurant spoke up to voice their support.

"Yeah!"

"Don't give up on this!"

"I'm rootin' for you."

"Give that girl her freedom!"

"I know you can do it, Mr. Nori!"

To say Nori was stunned by the response would be an understatement. "What the..." It was foreign to him, having an entire room containing a good twenty people of all walks of life expressing their backing. From a child to an old lady, from a hobo to what he figured was a corporate suit. He had to verify, "People...you actually are on my side?" They followed up with confirmations.

"You made me see that Julia girl's a pretty good kid."

"You're a pretty good kid, too."

"You're pretty stupid. But sometimes you gotta be a little stupid to make things right."

A smile crept onto his face. So his efforts were paying off, at least in one sense. It likely wasn't going to do much to change Holle's mind, but knowing the support was there gave him confidence. Still, that didn't erase all his troubles. "Thanks. But now I'm feeling a ton of pressure knowing you're all cheering for me." He chuckled.

Connor gave him the most disappointed look he could muster. Nori had never known his father, but he figured that was supposed to be something close to the look one gives his children when he's unhappy with them. "Now what'd I tell you about not actin' that way?"

Unabated, he shrugged. "I was mostly joking." He'd only been trying to make light of his situation, but the pressures were real. Especially with the very real possibility of failure hanging over him. People would no doubt give him all sorts of criticisms for not trying hard enough, even though he was trying as hard as he could. And even if he somehow succeeded there'd be people saying he could've done more.

No, there he was actually acting that way. Connor was right. He had to ignore that for now. He sighed at himself. It wasn't like him at all to be this way. He had to get back to focusing. "Er, well." Wait, what was he thinking about before this? Not going in circles and focusing, right. "That champion," Nori spoke with some venom, "He said I need to consider the victims' families too."

"Actually, one of 'em swung by here last night. Some fisherman." The young official blinked. He knew who Connor was talking about, remembering what he saw at the lake well. "But ya ran on outta here 'fore he could chat ya up."

Nori was silent for several seconds, before simply blurting, "Oh." He wouldn't deny his reaction last night was extreme. But did it really matter? "Well, he probably just wanted to yell at me anyway."

"If he wanted that, think he woulda given ya your space?"

Nori involuntarily looked away. That was a fair point. "Even so..." That is just one relevant person. But he did get through. So maybe he got through to the others? Still, that didn't change the real issue at hand. He wasn't going to get through to that detective no matter what. Julia's situation wouldn't be nearly as dire if it wasn't for him. Especially with him seemingly going as far as to mentally break her down. At least it seemed he'd reverted any of that. And there he was just going in circles and reflecting on stuff he already knew.

"Ya know somethin'," Connor suddenly spoke up, "Standin' on the mound is a lot like what you're goin' through. Every time a guy stepped up to the plate, it'd be a battle between me and him. I threw the pitches, my opponent tried to hit 'em. Not everything I threw out was gonna get by, but I could make sure it wasn't easy."

"What are you even saying?!" Nori stressed, not needing this right now. "And didn't you say I was going to bat before?!"

"That was just a turn of phrase before. This is a bit of a life metaphor for ya." The young official grumbled at himself. He was getting way too high-strung at someone trying to help. He nodded and let the man continue. "What I'm gettin' at with it is, remember that you're the one who's throwin' things out there. You're in control of what ya do to help that girl out. It's on them to react to what ya do." Nori slowly nodded as Connor adjusted his bow tie. "Piece of advice though. Just like in baseball, if ya keep throwing out the same thing, they're gonna catch on."

That made a lot of sense. The young official figured he understood where the former baseball player was coming from. "So...you're saying," he started, "Mix it up? Do something unexpected? Throw a proverbial curveball at them?"

Connor smiled with approval, particularly at the last part. "You're gettin' it, son. Best case, ya give'em somethin' so good there ain't nothin' they can do about it."

"Something he can't do anything about, huh? Something that could decisively shut down Holle..." If only he'd thought of that sooner. This most of all was that detective's fault. If he wasn't a factor, everything would be fine. Right?

Nori stood up with a resolute nod. "Okay. I need to do some serious thinking about this. I only have one day left to get this right, and I'm going to get it right." He may have been the only one fighting. But there was nothing to it but buckle down and push through. "Just need to head to the hotel so I have a quiet place to think." He retrieved a few bills and slid them towards Connor, who shook his head and slid them back.

"Keep the cash. Food's on the house for you."

"If you say so..." he agreed with a shrug. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "But yes, I need...something. I need to come up with something that'll a hundred percent help get her out of there. I can't waste any more time." He retrieved and assembled his skateboard, intending not to dawdle in the slightest. "I'll be back later."

* * *

Nori skated his way back to his hotel room at the Kunoichi's Rest. He didn't mind the hustle and bustle one bit, but when he really needed to seriously think about something, he preferred as much silence as possible. That way there are no distractions, just him and his thoughts. He had one day left in Johto, one day to get it right. He had some things in mind, but there was so little time to achieve them. He needed to seriously weigh his options and go for the best one.

The traffic made getting back there a hassle. Nori never enjoyed being out during rush hour. All the traffic, pedestrian and vehicles, got in the way and made any travel take longer. He tended to only go out into it when absolutely necessary, and this was one of those times. Sitting around waiting for it to die down was only going to take longer overall. The disadvantage is that it hardly gave him time to getting some thinking in on the situation on the way there. He had to focus on not crashing into anyone or anything.

The young official eventually made it back. He dismounted on reaching the stairs and carried his board the rest of the way. He fumbled around retrieving his key with one arm - it was in the same side pocket he was holding his skateboard in, and he belatedly thought to switch it to his right arm. He finally managed to open the door and made to step inside. He barely caught himself before his foot came down on a small black rectangular box.

"Huh? What's this?"

* * *

Had to split this one up due to excessive length and design-related reasons.

I also cut a few subplots and scenes. I originally had the actual fisherman show up in this chapter, but wanted to keep down the number of characters. Another was where Nori would capture Twilight and earn her respect in his own way - she would've shown up during the scene with Nori and Julia here. However, it distracted from the overall narrative in several ways. Minor consequence, it meant I couldn't show off Nori as a trainer as much as I wanted to and made the battle in the first scene the only one.


	6. Chapter 6: Considering Everything

Chapter 6: Considering Everything

Shortly after arriving back at his hotel room, Nori found himself lounging on the placemat. It was actually slightly quieter this hour than it was during the evening, due to neighboring rooms not being occupied. All the better to help with his thoughts.

Hearing all the support he had from people was assuring. It made Nori certain he was fighting a good fight, and therefore a fight he could win. If no one was courageous enough to at least voice that much, or worse yet, acted opposite to what they felt, he was unsure if he could keep going. Yet that came with another side to it - now he had all these expectations on him that he would succeed. He still wasn't a hundred percent sure if he could, and didn't want to think about what people might think of him if he failed.

It wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Some of his peers or even just random people had ripped on him before for being special or his unique position. At least a bit of it stemmed from jealousy. But being the first of his kind came with its disadvantages. There were no guidelines to follow, no established ways to act. This meant a measure of freedom. But this also meant that he set the standard. He would determine what a Pokemon rehabilitator really is. Whether they would be deemed viable or not rested squarely on him.

And that occurred to him too. He wasn't helping a Pokemon, but a person who had issues with their Pokemon as well. That wasn't too big a stretch of the original intent, right? Success would mean that might become an expectation he establishes. But if he failed, then what? Would he try again if another opportunity presents itself in the future? Should he? Or would he just be blocked from doing so?

There were a lot of things Nori wasn't sure of. One thing he was sure of was that he had to stay the course with this. Worrying about what might happen in the aftermath could wait.

Nori glanced over at the object he had left on the tea table, a videotape. Evidently, somebody had slid it through the room's mail slot. However, it was completely unlabeled. No markings, no clues as to its contents. Who had brought it here? Why? Well, it was here. He could think of a few reasons why it was. Come to think of it, one of them would make the most sense.

Either way, there was only one way to answer the questions he had about it. Ordinarily, he would be unsure of watching a video of unknown contents and origin. There could be all kinds of things he'd rather not see on such a tape. But given the circumstances, it was something he was willing to chance. And thinking more of it, it'd be easy to immediately turn off if there was anything bad on it.

He walked over to the box-like television. He almost slid the tape into it right away, but right before he did, spotted a thin layer of dust covering it. "Probably not a good idea to put it in as-is..." Nori mused. He opened it and blew inside.

"GAH!" Instant regrets. The dust backfired and flew into his face! He instinctively shut his eyes and turned away, barely avoiding getting any particles in his eyes or up his nose. Waving the cloud aside, he inserted the mystery tape and pressed play.

What started as a side-glance turned into a fully attentive look as the image appeared on screen. "This is...!"

The grainy black and white video depicted a holding cell. It had only basic necessities - bunk beds, a toilet, and a partially rusted sink beside it. There was actually one more person than there were beds in there. Someone he couldn't properly see was dozing in the corner of the room with just a pillow and sheet over the floor. Nori chalked that up to crowding given the Rocket base raid. But the two of importance were on the beds. Julia on the top bunk, and an adult in the bottom. A timestamp in the top right said it was 1:13am.

Abruptly, the feed cut off. Nori scratched his head in confusion at first, staring at the blank screen for several moments. He hit the rewind button. For the longest time there was nothing of significance. Besides the person in the bottom doing a lot of tossing and turning, and Julia hopping down for some water, there was no movement at all.

Nori kept careful watch for anything of interest as the tape continued to rewind. When it was just before midnight, there was significant movement. As the tape continued to rewind from there, finally did things start to happen: Julia climbing to the top bunk, the two in an embrace, and into the two sitting side by side on the bottom bunk, which continued for a while. The adult appeared to be none other than Mrs. Parisa. Nori allowed it to rewind a bit further before hitting play again. The timestamp read 11:24pm.

"-this before, but...I'm relieved you're doing okay in here." There was audio. Of course there would be. That only made this more useful. Nori supposed he'd joined them mid-conversation. But he didn't know how far back it went, and didn't have the time to watch the whole thing - especially if it went back very far. But maybe he would have to if there was nothing in this spot. He had been going in circles and messing up this whole time. And if there was anything on here that could stop that detective, he'd use it. "And that I can see you again, even if the circumstances aren't ideal..."

Julia was scowling, likely from whatever it was they had been talking about earlier. She stamped the dirty floor. "Why did they put you in here anyway? I still don't get it at all!"

"Leading a minor to criminal activity. That was what they said," her mother explained. The dark haired girl crossed her arms, letting out a whiny grumble. "They also mentioned negligence and possibly other charges to be determined as well." She mumbled something as an aside which Nori couldn't hear. They had already been speaking fairly quietly, and that was practically a whisper.

Parent and child remained silent for about thirty seconds. Julia gradually relaxed over the course of it, eventually propping her hands on the bed and asking, "What about dad?"

There was hesitation before Mrs. Parisa answered. "I knew he would be against me doing this. So I only told him after." Her posture slumped. "All I could tell him was that I was sorry. I thought I could save you by taking the blame, but it really did only make things worse. I'm just praying he'll be able to handle being on his own now. Our ranch is in his hands alone now...and it looks like it will be for a while. Two of his girls are in here, and a third is on the run." All manners of guilt polluted her tone.

Mrs. Parisa turned to face her daughter. "And...I also want to apologize to you, Julia. It's my fault you're in this situation. I should never have pressured you into releasing Geraldine like I did. It was wrong of me to refuse to transfer any other Pokemon until you did so."

Julia watched intently, a mix of emotions showing as her mother continued to speak, "I didn't know how much she was suffering. I could tell she had issues, but I didn't imagine they were that bad. If I had realized that, I would have told you to send her to a facility for treatment. But...I wasn't thinking about any of that. I wasn't thinking something could happen after you released Geraldine and they could connect it to you. All I could think about was making sure nothing happened while she was under your care. Plus, I was so caught up with work and trying to find Amara and everything else-"

Her daughter suddenly raised a hand. "Mom, stop it," she asserted. "Don't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, really..."

"Wait, what?" Nori commented. The tape was continuing to play, but something had hit him all of a sudden. "What did she just say?" He rewound the tape and listened to it again.

"Don't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, really..."

He hit pause. It's not anyone's fault? Not anyone's fault, really. He reflected back. Whose fault was this? He had been thinking about that question a lot. Who was responsible for this? He had been openly throwing blame around.

Back at the lake: _"So where is he? The guy who did this?"_ Blaming the guy who attacked Geraldine.

In the questioning room at the department: _"I don't care if she is, she still screwed up good!"_ Yelling about Julia.

To the reporter when being interviewed: _"If anyone is to blame, it's...actually, it's Team Rocket."_ Trying to find another source to throw shade on.

To Mrs. Parisa when he met her: _"And it's your fault she's in there!"_ Lashing out at someone trying to help.

And yesterday he'd mumbled here: _"If that champion wasn't so defeatist about this..."_ Complaining about people not doing what they could to help her.

He vented about Holle numerous times: _"This is all that detective's fault."_ That statement yesterday being one of them.

And had even gotten around to blaming himself: _"This is my fault. I should've been trying harder this whole time."_ He even just thinking about his own shortcomings until just now.

All this time he had been thinking about who was to blame for all this. Who had caused this incident. Who should've done something differently. Who should do more. Who should do less. Or who if they weren't a factor, might have avoided or made the situation far better than it was. But it was no one's fault. No. Rather, even if there were people to blame for this, it didn't matter whose fault it was. What matters is that Julia could very well have her life ruined. Sure, there was someone out to ruin it, but this isn't about who or what could ruin it.

This was about how to fix it.

Ideas circulating in his mind, he hit play again and allowed the video to resume. Julia continued on, "Besides, blaming people isn't going to make things better." He nodded in agreement with this. He understood things now. He couldn't change what was already done. And he couldn't change Holle, either. What he could change was his approach. All this time he was thinking of how he could absolve Julia of responsibility. While being in the mindset that he had to stop Holle. In other words, stopping the person who wanted to put her in jail. But he'd realized he should've been in the mindset of how to help and improve the situation. That maybe the best solution was in front of him the whole time.

"I...I know...that's true." Her right hand went to her head, briefly rubbing an eye. "You know, that was a really mature thing of you to say. I'm proud of you Julia. You've grown up so much since you started on this journey."

Julia was silent for a few moments. "Mom..." she sniveled. Suddenly, she broke down into her mother's arms. Mrs. Parisa was shocked for only a moment before tightly wrapping her arms around her daughter. The girl was in hysterics as she rambled, "Mom! I don't want to spend the rest of my life in jail! I want to go home! I want to own my own Pokemon ranch and help Pokemon the same way you do!"

"Julia...oh, Julia. I know!" she sobbed. "I know that! I wanted to help you, but...but..."

Julia hyperventilated, words coming out garbled until she eventually got out, "I want to be out of here, and get to travel with Perrine and Caiseal, and Hikaru, and all my other Pokemon again!"

"And you will," Nori replied as her frantic pleading continued on, as if she could hear him. "You will."

He didn't know who had sent this surveillance tape or how that person got hold of it. But all that mattered was that he owed them one. No, more than that. Whoever had done this had given him just the weapon he needed.

* * *

"I want to write books, read books, draw cartoons, and help people and Pokemon alike! I'll even go back to school again! School's way better than jail, even though nobody likes me there! Why did this have to happen?! I never wanted any of this to happen! I'm so sorry, Mom! I never wanted anyone to get hurt! This is all my fault! I just want everything to go back to the way it was before!"

"So, what do you think?" Nori asked. His doubts were completely extinguished, much to the surprise of some of the patrons still around from earlier. In their place was a confident glint in his eyes. A few of the regulars were downright stunned, one woman sitting slack-jawed and not just because of what was on the tape. They'd been following Nori's progress, but had never seen him like this before.

Connor gave his patron a pat on the back. "I think you got money, son," he told the young official. "Ain't nobody reasonable who can see that and say they ain't sorry for the lass."

"Which means they might go easy on her!" Perrine concluded. Nori had swung by the Pokemon Center before heading back to Connor's. He found her and Caiseal there as he'd hoped and asked them to come along. This was something he felt they needed to see.

"Her mother, too."

"Wait, WHA-!?" the orange-haired girl gasped in surprise. "You can help her too?! How?"

"Didn't you hear her?" Nori asked, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Mrs. Parisa more or less said she acted in the heat of the moment and didn't know the full extent of Geraldine's condition, among other things. Which means she didn't act with intent." He tapped his chin. "If everything comes together as I'm hoping it does, I think Julia might get off with a slap on the wrist at worst."

Perrine nodded, bursting with glee at this. "That's all well and good," Caiseal spoke up. He was doing a far better job of containing his as he asked, "But what exactly do you plan on doing?"

Nori just chuckled deviously at the realist question. With a wild grin, he declared. "Show this tape. Like I am now."

"I don't know," the blond boy said with uncertainty, shaking his head. "Should you really have this tape? Shouldn't you return it to the police station?"

"That's the plan," Nori elaborated, his grin widening as he hit the rewind button to get the tape back to the relevant location. He instincts had been whispering to him about something. "I'm going to go there and show them what's on the tape." His proclamation triggered chatter around the whole diner. Overhearing one conversation, he replied to it, "Yeah, and if you can get the word out too, that'd be great. Attack them from all angles." He knew that media pressure was a very real thing, even before this incident. Yet it was rarely enough on its own. "The public has their say and can make a bit of a difference in a case. But what this really comes down to is convincing the police. If we can make them see Julia's not a bad person..." He closed his eyes. "Then maybe we can do this."

More chatter. People were responding positively to what he was saying. Nori smiled to himself, stopping the tape and taking it out of the diner's VCR. He carefully wrapped it in the towel he had borrowed from the hotel room to prevent damage to it, placing it back in a flap in his bag. "But...what about that detective?" Perrine asked. "He said he wants Julia punished as much as possible. I don't think you'll be convincing him easily..."

And there it was. He knew somebody was going to bring up Detective Holle. The big obstacle to his plans, the one he was fighting against. Perrine didn't need to remind him or bring it up. It was a fact he was painfully aware of from the very beginning. Getting around him wasn't going to be easy. But he had a plan, an idea of how he could pull it off. "With the way I'm going to approach it...well," He paused, deciding to be more honest. "With any luck, he won't be a factor."

This incited confusion among people. How could that detective not end up a factor? Nori continued, "Here's the thought process. I know I'm not going to be able to convince him. That's why I'm hoping to convince as many others as I can." He closed his eyes again. "Holle may be an issue, sure. I'm banking on the rest of the force saying that maybe they should go easy on her. Maybe this whole law about releasing a Pokemon is a bit silly. That maybe they should consider the circumstances of this whole mess." The young official's eyelids flew open. "I know people have the sense to see this. And I have faith that they can stand up to say that."

Silence. Caiseal broke it by saying, "Do you really think it will work?" He asked this in a way that while he believed it could, he needed convincing for his doubts about it to go away.

Nori affirmed his answer. "Think of it this way. This is the most extreme example mind you, but what if everyone on the force but Holle wanted Julia to receive minimal charges, and yet he still went ahead with the maximum sentencing?" He allowed that to hang for several moments before following it up. "It wouldn't reflect good on him, would it? Or would he even go through with them in the first place?"

Even more chatter. People liked it. And it made sense, didn't it? Even with that detective being Tauros headed, even he might be reluctant to go against the flow. And if he did...well, at least he'd probably damage the detective's reputation in the process. However to Nori's surprise, it was Connor who spoke and brought up a counterpoint next. "If you don't mind me sayin', I don't think that detective's gonna let ya run roughshod. How ya gonna show them folks at the station that tape without being stopped?"

"Er, well." That didn't occur to him. And worse, that was something the young official could admit he had no real answer to. "I...don't know." There was no avoiding that without proper timing. "I mean, there is one thing I can try, but..."

"Well take it!" Connor enthused, slamming a fist into a palm. "You ain't gone this far just to back down, right?"

"Ri-right!" Nori stammered. He was absolutely right. This wasn't an ideal solution. He'd even say it was towing the line of legality, or at least integrity. That said, Nori knew he couldn't let worries like that shackle him right now. "But I'll need to borrow the phone for a minute for that."

"By all means." The former pitcher brought the entire phone up. Nori stared blankly at the black machine. It didn't look like any phone he'd ever seen. There were no number pads, just a disc with holes in it. "It's an antique from Grandmama, so treat'er carefully."

"Okay, I will." Even if it wasn't an antique, he always treated others' things with extra care. All he did at first though was stare at it as if it were an alien device. He was unsure how to operate this machine, but wasn't about to resort to help right away. "Do I just...?" he mused to himself, putting his finger in the space where the 7 was. Nothing happened.

"Just turn it," Connor spoke up, causing him to jump and nearly jam his finger. He grumbled and shook his head. He never liked it when people gave him advice he didn't ask for, even if it was helpful. He probably could've figured that out by himself in a few seconds, anyway...

Sure enough, twisting the dial accepted his input. He retrieved a scrap of paper from his pocket as a reference, repeating this process with the rest of the number. Slowly but surely, he went entered the whole number on the old phone and waited to get through. It made Nori wonder that if it was an antique, why Connor didn't leave it secure in his own home. Maybe it was part of the diner's image?

A woman spoke to him as the toning halted. "Hello, you've reached the Mahogany Town Police Headquarters. How may I help you?"

Jumping directly to an operator. Convenient. "Hi, my name is Nori Carino. I'd like to speak to Lars Bunston, please?"

"Hold please."

Music that would ordinarily be pleasant filled Nori's ears, but to him, it was not helping. His heart was threatening to beat its way out of his chest. He was hiding it well, but internally his nerves were running high. Success or failure would be dependent on the conversation he was about to have. And the wait was not helping, the music coming across as the preamble to doom. "Come on...it won't be long before he picks up. I hope..." he mumbled to himself.

"Sir!" Bunston's sharp and eager voice suddenly spoke up. Nori nearly jumped, but composed himself enough to make it appear he was simply snapping to attention. "To call me personally on this line, it must be very important!"

"Yes, you're right." The immediate understanding surprised him, but he was thankful for it. That meant he had no need to elaborate on matters any more than he had to. "Let's get right to it. I've got something to show people at the station, but I'm worried about Holle."

"Well, the detective rarely leaves the office. When he does it's usually for investigations or something important. I think he's earned his place, so he doesn't have to patrol as much as other officers. And when he does get out that's only after things are established. Heck, he even stayed back when all hands were called to the lake! I mean, some had to to watch the station sure, but even I had to go!" With a grunt, the stout officer said, "If you're trying to get him out of here, that'll be tough, sir!"

Nori went rigid. So he was looking at an uphill battle. He couldn't think of any options he had. He was second guessing his initial thought as well, there would be a huge risk involved in staging something. If it were even possible to stage something that would convince Holle to personally become involved. The one thing he might be able to do to get Holle out wouldn't allow him to show the tape, and he didn't want anyone else sticking their neck out doing that in his place.

Bunston's next words were quiet, so much so that Nori almost failed to notice. "But if you come down at around 2pm, that's when he always has questioning scheduled."

Nori remained silent except for a small huff of acknowledgement, processing this information. That could work. It'd also avoid any ethics problems. He glanced over at the wall clock. It was about 1:30. "How long?"

"Enough. Enough, I have to go!" Abruptly, he was hung up on.

Nori instantly recognized it for what it was. What he needed to do wouldn't take long, and with Holle occupied, he would have an excellent chance of being able to do so. Come to think of it, he arrived at the station yesterday just after two. And while it was earlier than that the first time, Holle had come in to personally start questioning Julia at around that time as well. Something that the detective had said rung in his ears.

 _People have habits and desires. Therefore, it's easy to track and predict the movements of a person. You simply need to be there when they are._

An uncontrolled smile broke upon Nori's lips. It appeared he would be doing that to Holle this time. Being there when he wasn't.

"Hey, are you okay?" He was brought out of his thoughts by a concerned Perrine speaking up at his spacing out. She was extremely worried. "I hope you didn't get bad news." Nori's initial reply was to just smile confidently, shocking but ultimately washing away her concerns.

"More than okay," he declared. "That's settled, it's perfect. That detective is apparently going to be working in questioning soon. So if I time it right I should have enough time to show it to the force without being interrupted by him."

The restaurant owner took the phone back. "Sounds like things are workin' out, then."

"Do you really think that'll be enough?" Caiseal spoke up. His lingering doubts refused to leave him alone. "I mean, will personal opinion really make them not want to charge Julia?"

The dark-haired teenager shook his head. "I'm not sure," he admitted. He was hoping they would. The best case would be that they decide to take pity on her. But reality was nagging that the best it might do is simply reduce the severity. His words at face value were those of uncertainty, but his face held a different expression. "That's why I want to explore every avenue. Can I use the phone again? One more time, please."

"Seems you're callin' everyone today," Connor agreed with a chuckle, passing the receiver back to Nori. "Just don't be tyin' it up too long, ya hear?"

"This should be the last one!" Nori insisted. "I have one more trick up my sleeve..." He dialed a particular phone number he had put in a few times in the past. Enough that he knew it by heart.

"Hello! May I ask who is speaking?" came a jovial voice from the other side. The person that he usually had to report into as a Pokemon rehabilitator. He was a very quirky man to say the least, but a good one as well.

"Hey, it's me," he greeted.

"Ah, if it isn't Mr. Nori Carino!" came the reply, recognizing Nori's voice. His manner of speech always struck the young official as odd. He wasn't sure if it was because English wasn't his first language or if it was just him being blusterous, but he didn't want to ask. "It is very much early for you to be reporting in. Besides, are you not being on vacation?"

The young official explained it plainly, "Yes, but I can't just ignore my job either."

The man on the other end chuckled. "Very true, yes that is very true."

With pleasantries exchanged, Nori got right down to it. "So I was wondering..." He paused, as he tried to think about how to word this. "I heard officials might be able to do this, but is it possible for me to make a recommendation in the defense of someone who could be facing charges?"

"You have been hearing correctly!" Confirmation that made Nori beam. "So long as one is having no circumstance to suggest much bias, an official can indeed vouch for one who may be facing trial!" And since he had no relation to the person in question, having just met her days ago, that would be a hurdle he would not have to worry about. "However!" the man then declared. "It is difficult to speak on whether one such as you would qualify as an individual who would have such a privilege!"

Nori was frustrated to hear that, but undeterred. He was an official. Even if it was a very new position, that meant he should be able to do something. But how would he present that? Well, he had been allowed to get involved due to it being within his conjuration. So he should be able to speak on the matter! "This is regarding a certain incident involving a Pokemon with mental problems. In other words, the same field I work in. Since the circumstances of the arrest revolve partially around said Pokemon, should I not be able to speak in defense of her former trainer and whether or not she was responsible for its actions?"

The man on the other end thought about this. "Ah, I do concede your point! It does make perfect sense." Nori knew that even this person could speak on matters relevant to his position, too. "Very well! I shall be passing this around to the higher-ups."

Nori paused. "I...take it you already know what I'm talking about?" He supposed it should have been obvious. After all, this sort of incident could theoretically make national headlines, and he went on television.

"Oops! I should be getting that information from you!"

Nori rolled his eyes. This man had always been like this. But looking on the upside, it meant he could take a few moments to consider what to formally say. "Then, tell them this," the young official started. "Say that I, Nori Carino, believe that Julia Parisa is a good person who deserves a second chance. And that she acted with the best of intentions. Also that I know she'll never let anything like this happen again. She respects the law so much, that it's a shame she got caught up in it like this."

Throughout his statement, the man gave vocalizations of acknowledgement. When Nori had finished speaking, he remained silent for several moments as if expecting more. Eventually he acknowledged, "I have recorded this and furthermore wrote it down with a pencil on the sheet of paper that has been placed in front of me!"

That was perfect. "Thank you, Mr. Martins!" Appreciative as he was, Nori kept it short. Besides, he had things he needed to do. "Gonna get moving right away. Bye!"

The jovial man started stammering in alarm, "I-I-I told you, p-please refer to me as my codename-" but Nori hung up before he could finish.

"Okay, that's done! I'm going to get over to the station now!"

Perrine hopped off the stool she was sitting on, motioning to Caiseal who was already following. "We'll come, too!"

Nori lowered his head. He figured they might want to get in on this. But he could not let them do that. He opened his mouth to speak, and after a thoughtful pause, simply told them, "Sorry," with a shake of his head. He explained the situation plainly to the two confused kids. "I understand you want to help, I really do. But I don't need you two to show the tape. And...there is a chance I might go down for this. I don't think I will." Rather, he was hoping he wouldn't. "But I don't want you two to have to risk that too."

While one of them immediately understood and accepted this, the other found herself being overtaken by zeal. "I don't care!" the orange-haired girl protested. "Julia is my friend! I want to be a part of this even if it does mean I could be put in jail too! So-"

"Perrine," Caiseal interrupted, trying to bring sense into her. "He is right. We can't take this risk ourselves. And I don't think Julia would be very happy if we got put in there too."

"But, Caiseal...!" She looked to him and to Nori. "I just..." Perrine couldn't finish verbally, feelings of helplessness strangling her. The remainder of her statement, "...want to do something," was mouthed as she peered down, tearing up in frustration.

Nori confirmed Caiseal's sentiment. "She actually made me promise not to get thrown in there, either. So I'm sure she'd want the same for you." The orange-haired girl frowned, unable to argue that. And just to make it clear he was self aware, Nori chuckled. "I say that and yet I'm taking this risk. But if I do get in trouble for it, I'll be counting on you two."

"Really?" Perrine asked, eyes lighting up. "What'll we have to do?"

The young official had been trying to think ahead. He wasn't sure how well he was doing on that front, but explained anyway, "I may need to call you to back up my story about this tape." If anyone asked him about it, he would need people who could affirm that he did not steal it from the station himself. "And...if the worst does happen, you might have to pick up the fight in helping Julia."

"We will!" the orange-haired girl eagerly spoke. Just hearing Nori say he was depending on them was a huge boost to her mood, even if her help wasn't necessarily going to be needed. "And don't worry, we were planning on helping Julia any way we could, anyway!"

"And if things do go bad for you there, we'll back you up like you asked," Caiseal assured.

"Thanks, you two. I may end up having them call you too, Connor." The former pitcher acknowledged this. Every little bit helped, after all. "I'll be off, now." Nori turned and left with determination. As he was walking out the door, he turned and added one more thing to Julia's friends. "Just make sure you're either here or at the Pokemon Center, just in case! All right?"

"Got it!"

"Okay."

That settled that. It was time to head off to the station to finally settle this. Nori didn't even use his skateboard, just marching as quick as he could on foot. He had time to spare, and wanted to make sure he was fully prepared for what was to come.

Even with Holle not a factor, this wasn't going to be simple. Just showing the tape wouldn't be enough. Presenting a solid argument alongside would be necessary as well, and it had to be one they would accept. He would need to find a way to get people to pay attention in the first place. To go over every little thing he wanted to say in his head, and all of the things he might have to say as well. He wanted...no, he needed to get this right. He had only one chance to do so.

In spite of this, Nori held certainty within him. He knew he could pull this off. After all, he made it through that gym leader. He made it through his official's training. What more could it be to make it through something like this? It was just another test. Not a formal one, but thinking of it that way helped with his mood.

If this was a test, this would be the last part of it. All he was needed to do was pass this and he'd be in the clear, right? And he fully intended to pass with flying colors.

* * *

I almost designated this a .5 chapter (or the next one), given that MarJour does them and splitting one up would logically qualify one as such. Ultimately I decided not to, even though I am trying to emulate it to some extent. A silly thought did occur with them, aside: making their titles be two halves of a statement.

Two more chapters to go!


	7. Chapter 7: Our Brands of Justice

Chapter 7: Our Brands of Justice

A sizable group of just over two dozen officers had gathered in the lobby of the Mahogany Town Police Headquarters. Lars Bunston had worked swiftly to make this happen. He wanted to be sure everything was in order before Nori arrived. The stout man had rounded up everyone he could. He had chairs set up in rows alongside the lobby's seats. He even dug up and wheeled out the station's television, the only clue as to what this might be about to those sitting idly by.

"What's this all about, Bunston?" A dark-skinned officer with a slight rural accent asked the question on everyone's mind.

"As you may have surmised from this baby," the stout officer declared, giving the television a pat, "I have booked a surprise motivational seminar for the department! It will include a video, of course. The one showing it will hopefully be here soon."

This incited murmuring, but not all negative. The same officer spoke a concern and arched eyebrow. "Aren't these things supposed to be set up well ahead of time? Did you get approval to do this?"

"Already taken care of, Stabler! The chief himself should be coming to see it, once he gets done with his meeting!" The highest source of approval. He counted his blessings the chief was understanding. "Sorry it was on such notice, but I got an amazing price on it. It had to be today though!" Bunston chuckled while scanning the crowd for dissenters. There was confusion, but few dissenters. "With that all said and done, just sit tight! The one making the presentation should be arriving shortly!"

"I hope he gets here soon," a female officer with a blonde ponytail sitting between Stabler and Officer Jenny complained, sitting forward and massaging her back. "When was this scheduled?"

Bunston's eyes darted to his watch. 2:32. "Um, uh, two minutes ago, Benson." He nervously chuckled at the unexpected question. "Maybe he got stuck in traffic?" His eyes went to the doors, pondering just when he was going to appear.

Officer Benson stood to her feet, motioning to those beside her. "Well, I don't want to sit here on these chairs too long. And the three of us need to take care of some paperwork, so-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Bunston protested, catching the young man walking in at that precise moment. He pointed over to the doors. "Actually, there he is now!"

Every head turned to face him, causing Nori to recoil and freeze. What was going on here?! An oblivious Bunston waved him forth, causing him to reflexively hobble over. This was not something he was prepared for, though he concealed his panic well.

The young official peered at Bunston, eyes pleading with him to help out, but the stout man was ignorant to it. "Well, I'll give you the floor. Give'em a good show!" He slapped Nori on the back, encouragingly but with enough force to cause the young man to nearly lose his balance.

"Keep it together, Nori!" he urged himself, mouthing the words. "If these people have a bad image of you, they won't take you seriously!" On glancing at the crowd though, he found he was already under scrutiny. There were more than a couple officers giving him strange glances or whispering to each other. Then again, it was only natural. He wasn't an unfamiliar face, after all. He nearly caused a ruckus the first time, and had visited twice later. There were going to be some preconceived notions.

"Nothing to it but to be professional and say what I have to, then." Perhaps contrarily, a fact he was aware of, he felt a bit of ease at this. It's all he could do. He was here to change people's thoughts. What more would it be to change some's thoughts on himself?

"Good afternoon," he greeted with a bow, attempting to be as formal as he could manage. "My name is Nori Carino, and I am a Pokemon rehabilitator, a government-sponsored special trainer. I work hands-on training Pokemon with psychological issues so they may overcome them." Nori paused to consider for a moment. He supposed he may as well address the potential elephant in the room. "Some of you may recognize me from having visited your station a number of times over the past three days. This time, I am here due to more concerning business relevant to your operations." He gestured as he spoke, as he had read that helped with image. He took a moment to place his bag down and retrieve what he had come to display, holding it up for all to see. "Earlier this morning, an unknown individual delivered this surveillance tape to my hotel room. The tape in question appears to have been stolen from this police department. When I initially watched it view and surmise the contents of this unlabeled video, I was highly disturbed by what I witnessed. I feel that before returning it to its proper owners, that those within your department deserve to see this as well. The matters presented on this tape are those that must be brought to light."

A number of officers had been rolling their eyes at the teenager's speech. Yet even the most jaded of them snapped to attention on his last statement. It couldn't just be something petty, could it? As they whispered to each other, two points were on everyone's mind. Could there a scandal in the department? And why would someone send it to this young man?

Nori internally breathed a sigh of relief at the crowd picking up. As long as he had their attention, he could make it through this. The young official inserted the tape, crossing his fingers as he hit the play button that they would have the same reaction as everyone else.

As the screen flickered to life, everyone was surprised to see what appeared. It was only natural. This was one of the holding cells, and it had none other than the girl at the center of a major incident in there. Sitting on a bed with her mother who had came in here yesterday accepting partial responsibility.

"Hey, mom? Can we talk a little more before we go to sleep too?"

"Yes, we should. It may be one of our last chances to do so..."

"Well, there's a lot of things I want to talk about..."

People started leaning in closer. Nori smiled to himself as the video continued playing. It was working! Seeing this had to be eye-opening for a lot of them. In fact their eyes and ears were fully focused on the video.

No one noticed the officer with a bushy black mustache get up in a huff and rush into the hallway.

* * *

It was a common expectation that Frederick Holle would work questioning sometime between two and four in the afternoon. While not necessarily set in stone, more often than not he would begin at two on the dot, and be finished before four. If he had no one to personally question, he would either assist or oversee someone else. The routine of his had become the subject of joking around the station, though he was hardly bothered by it.

Today was no exception. Having worked the Parisa case many times over the past few days, he decided to bring in the suspect in the other case he had been handling, perhaps neglecting. Which was only natural given this delinquent girl was only set to be charged with vandalism, but a crime is still a crime.

The smirking short-haired blonde teen was being uncooperative, either evading, being vague on, or refusing to answer questions. He had dealt with these sorts of individuals before to the point of it being natural, but it was frustrating the woman with him to no end. If her hair hadn't already been naturally frizzy, she would've made it so with how much she had been running her fingers through her hair. So much was her behavior that Holle had to pull her aside.

"I can't take this, sir!" the redhead whined. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Do not let her get to you, Peake," the detective instructed, crossing his arms. "We are ultimately the ones in control of this situation. And rest assured that she is only making it worse for herself." He said the last sentence louder while firing off a glare. The girl remained unfazed, smiling back with an arrogance as if she thought she knew something as well. "It's a part of the job. You will run into these kinds of folks from time to time, so-"

His sentence was interrupted by the door flying open, and a man with a bushy mustache rushing in. "Mr. Holle, sir!" Pools called out.

The detective's face contorted into a fierce scowl that could stop a Primeape in its tracks. "How many times have I told you," he barked, "NOT to interrupt me when I am questioning someone!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry, Mr. Holle!" Pools' reply was instantaneous with a slight bit of terror, as if he were a soldier replying to a superior. So much was it that he momentarily forgot why he interrupted the detective. When it hit him, he ran over. "I know I shouldn't, but I had no choice! We have an emergency on our hands!"

To insist that much, especially after he had raised his voice, told Holle that this indeed was serious. "Get a hold of yourself," he firmly spoke. "Calm down and explain things carefully."

The officer was hyperventilating, from a mix of panic and exertion. He inhaled deeply, breathing in and out in a futile attempt to contain himself. "That kid...you know, the one we were talking about? That so-called official-"

"Get to the point already!" The detective was in no mood for games.

Pools' next words came out as a burst, "He's showing the force a security tape of the Parisa girl!"

"What?" Holle replied, deadpan. His two subordinates shuddered at his tone. Even the blonde girl, who had been chuckling to herself the whole time, gave pause at the fiery temperament abruptly going cold. "How did he get it?"

"He claimed someone gave it to him! People are watching it and he's trying to convince them-"

Holle raised a hand to silence him. "I understand. I'll deal with this." The detective marched out the door, not even looking back as he ordered, "You and Peake take care of things here." He had instantly recognized this for what it was. And he was not going to allow it to happen. Nori Carino had crossed the line. Because of that, he was going to suffer the consequences.

* * *

As the relevant footage came to an end, several officers were left stunned. There wasn't a person present who hadn't at least known the name of the person arrested for releasing the Gyarados and indirectly causing the incident at the Lake of Rage. However, there were almost none who knew the kind of person she was. Most thought it must have been a casual, irresponsible trainer who never thought about the consequences of his or her actions. But to hear the story behind the release and see the kindhearted girl break down over her potential imprisonment shook, even disturbed the collective crowd.

Nori knew. He went through it himself, after all. He could tell from the expressions of many processing this information. A few were even in tears. Things were going exactly as he had hoped so far. With confidence, he addressed the audience. "Two days ago, Julia Parisa was arrested for releasing a Pokemon that went on to cause significant damage afterwards. However, I feel that her situation has flown under the radar due to various circumstances. Is this really justice?"

Nori momentarily paused to collect his thoughts. And to take stock of the situation. Everyone was watching him intently. He had all these officers' full attention. They were listening to him. With an honest and frank heart, he continued on, "I understand this is a difficult situation. It is true that-"

"All right, what in Arceus' name is going on here?"

The furious voice of Frederick Holle cut through Nori's speech. He marched into the lobby, head craning about as he took the situation in. The tape in question was still playing on the station's mobile television. Over thirty officers were just sitting there doing nothing as a criminal stood right before them. One who was standing and staring at him with wide eyes, as if he was foolish enough not to expect this. Well, he should have. No one can escape their crimes.

"Why are you louts just sitting around?" Holle barked. The collecive crowd remained still, all in fear, awe, or both of the angered veteran of the force. "This kid is in possession of a surveillance tape stolen from this station. Why has he not been detained yet?!"

Nori was prepared for this. At least, he thought he was. The worst actually happening startled and alarmed him. He briefly glanced to a wide-eyed Bunston and managed to force out a couple words, "I expla-"

"I do not want to hear your excuses right now," Holle interrupted. "You will explain everything to me in questioning." He pointed at a pair of officers in the back row. "You two, accompany me. And haul this kid into interrogation."

The two snapped up to obey immediately. But Nori was moving swifter, going on ahead before they could even think about catching up. This was garbage, but he knew he couldn't fight it. And he was going to keep some dignity this time. "I'm going! Sheesh! And I-"

"And I told you-"

He stopped and spun around, cutting off Holle by shouting even louder. "I told them it WASN'T me! I don't know who sent this to me!"

Nori paused for only a split second, which the black coated man used to cut in again. "We'll speak more on that in a few minutes. For now, you're being placed..." But Nori had already walked away before he could finish. Holle shrugged. He thought that nothing more than a convenient lie. Better for him to enjoy his freedom while it lasted.

He followed close behind the officers he had ordered to assist. Despite his anger, he could not help but be incredibly disappointed in Nori Carino. He had the chance to become an upstanding contributor to society and he not only threw it all away, but he succumbed to going down that dark path he had warned him of. Like too many young people in this day and age. He was hoping he would not have to do this to the young official, and yet was fully prepared and ready to ensure justice was served.

* * *

The next thirty minutes for Nori easily felt more than eight times that. He was confined to a small yet overly bright room, monitored by two officers, a bespectacled man looking to be in his early 20s, and a much older one with graying teal hair and beard. They had been quiet the whole time, aside from mild small talk. Nori had nothing further to say on the matter anyway. He had told Holle his story in plain terms, and said to speak with Kunoichi's Rest, Julia's friends, and Connor's diner to verify it. That was all that needed to be said. He had no excuses about what he did, but regrets were starting to form.

Nori had sat on his hands to prevent himself from restlessly fidgeting with them like he was doing at first. Thinking about this incident. He only came to Johto on a vacation he didn't even want to take. Yet he got caught up in a major incident during his stay. It was not by happenstance but by choice. He had made a choice to do be a part of this. And because of that choice, he might not get to come back. He may not be able to see his friends, his family, or his home region again for a long time.

If he were dealing with anyone else, he would not be so unconfident. Yet seeing the look in that detective's eyes, hearing all he had said, and just sensing the kind of person he was made Nori very worried. Worried for himself, and for all those he would hurt if he was imprisoned. Not just Julia after promising he would not, but all the people expecting to see him again in a day or two. To his Pokemon for not being able to look after them anymore. To all the people that helped him reach this point.

His eyes went to the door. He'd been doing that a lot during the wait. The detective had been gone for ages, presumably calling the relevant people and places. Wouldn't it take only a few minutes each, not like twenty total? Maybe the detective was taking his time trying to get him on something. It'd explain a lot of things. Reason seemed as foreign as an Alolan to that man.

The door almost crashed open. That and the frustration on Holle's face gave it away instantly. The detective stomped into the room, giving his head a shake. He stood over Nori and ruefully told him, "You got VERY lucky."

It worked out! Nori loudly sighed in relief. Just knowing finally was enough, but knowing he was clear was even better. And better yet as upset as he was, Holle seemed accepting of it.

"First off. The sources you said could back your story up. I'm going to let you know those meant nothing. All they had to go on were your claims, and they are very clearly biased towards you." The young official rolled his eyes at this. Shouldn't it have meant at least something? Like those witnesses who talk about someone's character? Well, maybe not to Holle. The detective continued on, "I recommend NOT relying anything similar in the future. However, the hotel checked their surveillance records. Your claim that you did not leave your hotel room at all last night holds true. Moreover, an unidentified person dropped the tape off in your room's mail slot earlier this morning at 10:12am."

Just as he figured. Maybe somebody else had broken in and taken the tape. Maybe they should be questioning security about anything they saw instead of just throwing him into questioning just for having it.

Holle crossed his arms. "We're in the phase of investigating whoever was responsible for this theft. But it seems you were not responsible."

"So that means I go free?" the chestnut-haired boy asked, for final clarification. "Nothing happens to me?"

The detective chuckled. "You would like that, wouldn't you?" Nori's heart sank on hearing these words. Returning to a stern tone, the detective layed the situation out, "Depending on the results of our investigation, you may still be held accountable if you are found to have orchestrated this theft."

Again, Nori sighed in relief. If it was just that, he had nothing to worry about. He had nothing to hide. Besides, how could he have known to get the tape anyway? He wasn't a psychic, so it made no sense! Realizing his emotions were all over the place, he mumbled some encouragement to himself.

His relaxing was so blatantly obvious, that Holle actually nodded in acceptance, knowing the young official was likely not responsible. However, it didn't mean he was going to leave the matter be. His next words were intended to shut Nori down once and for all. "In any event, I am reporting you to your superiors for your actions. You have been acting way beyond your jurisdiction, and everything you have been doing has been causing our department headaches." He got down on Nori's level to look him square in the eye, with the seriousness of a heart attack. "It ends here. Further involvement of any sort in this case will result in you being charged and incarcerated."

"What?!" Nori protested, eyes stretching wide. Sure, he'd made a strong statement, but suddenly saying this? No, it didn't make sense. "Wait, can you even do that?!" He thought better of this query, turning to the two officers present and asking them instead. "Can he?!"

The young officer sighed sympathetically. "Unfortunately, yes. He can, Mr. Carino."

"Why?!"

"Anyone who causes significant difficulty towards the resolution of a case can be charged with obstruction of an investigation," the older one quoted with a frown.

Them saying this neutrally was no comfort. The detective suddenly stopping him now didn't feel right. The timing of it after he had done something that could well be the deciding factor with a bit of follow-up seemed very unusual. "You know what?" he started to speak without even realizing it. "It sounds to me like you're trying to take advantage of that law to keep me quiet. It's straight up abuse of a gag order." He stood up and looked Holle square in the face. "Isn't it?"

The detective was not intimidated or bothered in the slightest, simply reiterating, "Do anything more to influence this case, and you'll be charged. It's as simple as that." Nori blinked, but remained standing. Holle was not denying it, but then again, there was nothing he could do about it either. Unexpectedly, the detective patted him on the shoulder. "I would like to apologize to you," he said. "I didn't want to have to do this. But you've been going too far with your actions to the point of causing us trouble. So I had no other alternative."

Nori stepped away. Holle was trying to make him look like the bad guy, entirely in the wrong. If he just accepted this, everything he did up to now would mean nothing. He had to chance it. "But...but..." But he couldn't find the words. He didn't know what he could say.

"We're sorry," the officer with glasses nervously said. "You did show us that girl is a good kid, and I...well..."

As he trailed off, the older officer sighed heavily. "However, the law is the law. So she will have to answer for it."

"I...I understand that! I really do!" Nori stammered. It must be confessed he was hoping they'd say otherwise. He had his fingers crossed it would be that easy, but was aware in the back of his mind it was a long shot. "But is knowing she's a good person not worth some leniency at least?!" That wasn't. He knew that at worst, he could accomplish that much.

Holle shook his head. "We don't decide a criminal's sentencing, Mr. Carino," he told the young official. "All we do is present the facts and allow the courts to take over from there."

 _"...seeking to prosecute her..."_

It flashed through Nori's mind. A public remark that Holle had made earlier. And one that had been repeated to him personally several times. The thing that had been bothering him the whole time.

 _"If I have anything to say about this matter..."_

If he could get that out in the open, then...

That was it.

He had his chance.

And he felt he had to take it. Even if there were only these two other officers here to see him do it. Even if he had been threatened for further involvement. Even if worse could happen from him saying this. He'd come this far. It was time to see it through once and for all!

Nori pointed boldly at Holle. The dark uniformed man's face went blank as he wondered what was the sudden cause of this. "What about when you did that interview on TV?" He stated this fact plainly, not accusingly. "You said yourself that you wanted to see Julia prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. So yo-"

"Enough." Holle cut him off coldly and sternly. "Any more of that and I'll charge you with slander as well."

Nori jumped at the sudden shift in mood. To get that, he must have struck a nerve. But Holle really was personally pushing for a harsh punishment. He pointed it out, it had to be a good thing that he did. And those two were there to see it. All they had to do was recount what they had heard. He turned to the officers to see them warily watching Holle. On further examining...they almost seemed afraid?

"Please..." he whispered. The younger one seemed like he was about to speak up for a moment, but a glower from Holle silenced him. "So...is that it? Was this all for nothing?"

Nobody said anything. The older officer refused to make eye contact.

Nori couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd risked everything and almost got burned for it. He'd taken a huge chance just to give Julia one. And it was going to end like this? With all these officers knowing what was happening being wrong, yet too afraid to voice their thoughts? Unwilling to do anything? In fear of their superior?

The detective remained in silent consideration. He smirked after a few moments, speaking up with intent to slap the young official with a cruel dose of reality. "You've failed at this. Now leave."

Shaking his head involuntarily. Had he failed? He may have been silenced per Holle's threats, but that didn't mean he couldn't do anything. His eyes pleaded with the two officers in the room, begging them to stand up to the detective. The two replied by looking away from him in shame. Nori wanted to outright scream at them to help. He could only do so much on his own. But if they wouldn't even dare consider this, then...

"You're free to go. Now go. Now."

That was it. He could do nothing more. He really had failed. He was sure Holle would be monitoring him on his way out in case he decided to speak to anyone else. He'd promised to Julia he would not do anything to get himself thrown in jail. That was a risk he just couldn't take. And one he didn't fancy taking after dodging one bullet already.

He was powerless to affect the case further. Whatever happened to Julia from here was up in the air...

* * *

Stabler and Benson originally showed up in chapter 32.5 of MarJour, though the latter was only described as a blonde officer with a ponytail. Asked for names, and got that in reply as a reference. The girl that Holle was interrogating is a character concept I came up with but had no place for, Julia's cellmate. I decided to have her present but wholly in the background.


	8. Chapter 8: The End of Matters

Chapter 8: The End of Matters

Success and failure are like two sides of a coin. Where one result is desired, and the other is not.

That's not a true analogy, of course. While some of each is to be expected, it is not as simple as a matter of chance. Success and failure and what a person will experience is in the hands of that person and those around them.

We live in pursuit of success. We all want to succeed at what we do, from the small things to the big. To not succeed is to have your efforts amount to nothing at best. And to bring yourself harm at worst.

Nori had fought for something big. He'd tried everything he could think of. And ultimately failed.

What happened? What could he have done better?

There was no one to answer these questions for him. Only harsh failure.

Ideally you will follow success and avoid failure. Experiencing failure sometimes is only natural. And if you don't learn from failure, you're doomed to repeat it.

Yet how can you learn from failure if you don't know what led to it?

Failure can come with consequences, big and small. This was the former. He fought for something big and there were big consequences. It's not that he was not aware of it. He was just hoping for success.

If he succeeded, everything would have worked out for everybody.

But he had failed.

Lives could have been saved. But they were ruined. Someone condemned for life for a mistake. A family member caught up in it. Friends shattered apart. And whatever awaited him for his involvement.

There was perhaps just one person who succeeded. His success meant failure for others. Inevitable when there are clashing goals. And where the consequences of failure was small. To that person, his success lies in others' failures.

Everyone deserves a chance at success. To take that chance away from someone is to take away that person's reason for being.

Why did things play out as they did?

What could have happened differently?

Where will things go from here?

Perhaps...

"That was the Dark Nightwingz. And this is DJ Ben Marler, bringing you the latest jams right here from Goldenrod Tower, baby."

The clock radio blaring brought Nori out of his reverie. It had been turning on at 8am sharp every day, and he had no idea how to stop it from doing so short of unplugging the thing. At least it had been advantageous in waking him when he needed it to, as was the case yesterday. He already had been awake today making it more annoying than anything, but at least trying to be optimistic, it had reminded him of the time. He had to get going.

"Word outta Mahogany now, I just heard charges are finally being laid in the Red Gyarados case!"

No. No. He did not want to hear this. He just wanted to push this out of his mind and forget about about it. He rolled over and reached out, fumbling his hand in attempt to hit the button to silence the radio. But it was no use, he was too slow and uncoordinated in his half awake state and the DJ was speaking too quickly.

"They're saying that a Kassia Parisa's being held accountable for this whole mess."

He halted. The DJ was still speaking, but what Nori had just heard made him deaf. Kassia Parisa was charged. No mention of Julia. Maybe his efforts had amounted to something after all. That would be nice. All the same, it would still mean he couldn't keep his promise. He said he would get Julia and her mother off the hook for the incident. He only managed one, and Julia was not in a good position for it. Maybe she had been granted freedom, but her mother had been taken away from her. She would be without a parent, possibly for the rest of her life.

No, that was just being too optimistic. Just because Julia wasn't mentioned doesn't mean she wasn't charged. It just meant at least that her mother took a lot of the blame. The officers had said that Julia had still committed a crime herself. Regardless of how ridiculous the nature of the crime actually was. She might still have to face punishment.

There was no further use thinking about it. Whatever had happened had happened. He had wanted to say that, at least. The events of the past three days had left the young official with deep regrets that were refusing to leave anytime soon.

Nori rolled off the bed, feeling as though under triple the gravitational pressure. He forced himself over to the kitchen, yanking on the refrigerator door. He grabbed the last of the apples he had bought and bit into it. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and was feeling it. He supposed the traditional means off staving off exhaustion would be coffee, but he tried it once and hated it. The man he reported into told him it was an acquired taste he would appreciate when he got older, but the young official very much doubted that. He heard these were just as good if not better than that drink, anyway. Definitely healthier too.

The young official reminisced to the events of yesterday. In the morning he was feeling the determination to do things, but was unsure of what he needed to do. By the afternoon he thought for sure he was on the path to success. And then the events at the station happened. After that he had no motivation to do anything. No, rather it was all just a big haze. He remembered visiting the Pokemon Center and watching TV here, but besides those two things little else registered with him.

Pushing those thoughts aside. He needed to get moving soon. He polished off the apple as swiftly as he was able to without choking and went over to check his bag. Going through it, he found everything that was supposed to be in there was there. He threw what he'd left on the table and dresser into it and double-checked. No, he didn't forget anything. To be extra sure, he even checked the drawers and fridge, even checking in the bathroom and under the bed. He wanted to be extra sure he left nothing behind on this trip, because he wouldn't see it again if so.

This trip.

He grumbled and gently whapped himself on the head. This whole trip ended up just a big waste. He was hoping to go sightsee around a new region, but instead he got caught up in something that went nowhere and met a stonewall. He did not succeed. Even without that threat looming over him, his time here was up. There was nothing more to do but return home coated in the stench of failure.

* * *

In spite of his lethargy, Nori managed to reach the airport despite it being a city over. It was times like these he pointed to his skateboard as a highly useful asset, and few were able to refute that point. He specifically requested an afternoon flight just in case he needed the extra time in the morning. While it would have been ideal to get over to Ecruteak last night, Nori knew he was in no condition for travel yesterday. Even this morning took some force of will to make it over.

Cloud Nine Airlines was one of the smaller entities when it came to air travel. Far from an international presence, it strictly operated within a few regions in close proximity, stretching from Hoenn to Sinnoh and a few out further west. Its lower ticket costs and good service made it a favorite of those traveling between said regions. Helping its reputation was that it tended to operate in cities without other airports, making it a convenience over its main competitor.

Nori retrieved his ticket, glancing it over again briefly. Two way, business class, time of departure at 2:45pm. Which was in about half an hour. Just a bit of extra time to relax before having to get into the flying metal box and not moving for a couple hours.

He looked up and saw two familiar faces walking into the lobby. The stout one among them gestured with a two-fingered point. "Here he is!" Bunston called. "We're just in time, Mr. Champion!"

"Thank you for your help. Please allow me to have a talk with him." With an emphatic nod, Bunston scuttled back. The caped man walked forward and greeted Nori, who turned away, dejected. "I'm glad I caught up with you," Lance started. "I would like to apologize to you for our previous conversation, Nori. I was not intending to discourage you from trying to do anything to help. I was only trying to help you understand what your options were." The boy tilted his head to peer at the champion, but did not say anything in reply. The champion added, "It seems you figured it out on your own, though."

At this the young official moved to face him again. However, he remained quiet. Certainly, they've heard what happened. And he couldn't be happy about what happened..

"Julia was looking for you," Lance told him. "She wanted to say thank you for everything you've done."

Well, he had to catch a flight for one. But more importantly. "Sorry," he explained, with a heavy sigh. "I couldn't face her after how things turned out." He made a promise and he couldn't keep it. He wasn't even sure that Julia was even free. "I told her I'd get both her and her mother out of there. But I could only help her. I think. At least if that radio announcement I heard was true, she was freed."

The spiky-haired man gave a nod of confirmation. So it was true. That was a bit comforting. But, "Even so, in the end, I may as well have failed. Julia might be okay, but she's lost her mother. So really, she might not be okay after all."

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself," the champion assured him. "You did well these past few days. If it wasn't for your actions, things would have turned out a lot worse for those two."

That just incited confusion. He did well? "What exactly did I do though?" the dark-haired boy asked. "I thought I just yelled a lot and said a bunch of things that didn't matter."

"They mattered."

* * *

Lance had arrived at the Mahogany Town Police Headquarters first thing in the morning. Having heard that the charges were all but formalized, he wanted to speak with Julia one final time. In spite of her situation, he wanted to assure her that he was going to work to see if he could at least get her sentence commuted.

He found himself speaking to none other than the one in charge of handling her case, in the hallway leading to the offices. The champion laid everything out in detail, including his plans that might run counter to the detective's wishes, saying, "These are my intentions."

Detective Holle took his proclamations without batting an eye. "Very well," he replied. "Just don't take too long. She and her cellmate are both set to be transferred to the Juvenile Correctional Facility west of Ecruteak today."

Lance solemnly nodded. He expected as much. However, as he was about to head off towards the holding cells, a booming yet jovial voice rang out.

"There you are, Inspector!" Holle turned as if he knew who it was. Lance knew enough himself to understand that was Holle's official rank in the department.

Approaching them was the chief of police in Mahogany Town, a short bespectacled elderly man with a wild mustache, dressed in a violet outfit that was as casual as he could get away with. "Oh, it's good that I found you. I see that the champion is once more gracing us with his presence!" The chief gave a brief respectful bow.

"Am I interrupting business of yours?" Lance asked, only to be met with a handwave.

"Oh, hardly. You may stay if it pleases you." The chief turned to face Holle. "Anyhoo, I had important things I needed to speak with you about, Inspector."

"Chief," Holle replied with a salute and nod. "Please, elaborate."

With a nod back, the chief elaborated, "There has been a development in one of the cases you have been handling. The department has decided we won't be charging Julia Parisa for what happened."

Holle's expressed contorted instantly. "What?!" the detective gasped. He shook his head in utter shock. "You can't be serious. Is this one of your jokes?"

"It would be a good one, wouldn't it? Hahaha!" The chief clutched his stomach with one hand, waving with the other. "But I don't kid, I don't kid. We're asking she make a public apology, but nothing more than that."

The champion couldn't help but break out into a smile. He wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but things had worked out for Julia after all. "That is good news," he spoke up.

"This is ridiculous," Holle disagreed through gritted teeth, barely containing himself. Lance figured this was only due to him speaking to his superior. "I apologize for any insolence you take from this, chief. But do you have any reasoning for this besides sympathy? You can't just up and release a suspect without a solid reason."

"Well, I thought you might ask that. You can be sure that we didn't make this choice lightly."

"We?" inquired Lance.

"Y'see, that surveillance video showed us all quite a few revelations about Ms. Parisa's situation. I myself just managed to catch the tail end of it with Prosecutor Paine. Before you interrupted, Inspector." Lance watched as the chief paced before them. He hadn't heard about about this.

"As I should have, since it was stolen from the station," Holle argued. "Why didn't you?"

"Oh, I planned to question the one making the 'presentation'. But it would have been rude to do so before he was finished," the chief replied with a chuckle. The detective sighed and shook his head. "Irregardless of that though. After some debilitation and polling, I decided we cannot in good conscience punish her any more than is necessary."

Holle crossed his arms. "So it was sympathy." Lance couldn't necessary disagree with that. Even those in power have to adhere to the rules. But unlike the detective, he knew and expected there was more to it than this, which is why he was not surprised by the finger wag that followed.

"Ah-ah-ah!" the chief corrected. "It was far more than just that, Inspector. For one, she also received two recommendations from separate officials."

Lance nodded, stepping forward. "One of those would be myself."

"Carino." The detective clenched his fists, his brow nearly twitching with how furrowed it was.

"Is that a name of an official?" asked the chief. "They do not tell us which ones gave the recommendation. So we will never know for sure!" He turned to Lance with a grin. "Unless of course, they say so as the champion just did."

The detective's response to this was to grumble with resignation and half pivot away. "I know that." Lance understood why immediately. Both he and Holle knew full well it was that person. And Holle certainly would want to try to do something if he could prove it was said person.

Unnoticing or uncaring of this response, the chief pressed on, "There is also the difficult issue that she was coerced into releasing the Pokemon by her mother."

Holle spun back, now not even hiding his disgust. "A Pokemon she never would have captured if she had not left the safety of this station and entered the base of a criminal organization," he protested. "If not for her sticking her nose in police business in the first place, none of this would have happened!"

"Ah, a good point. I thought of it too," the chief confessed, before shrugging and looking at Lance. "But I figured y'know, we already resolved that. So why make it a factor in this?" Holle remained silent, still as a statue if a brooding one. The chief concluded his explanation, "The mother has accepted responsibility for the coercing. That will be our official statement."

"What, you're saying there's still more to this?" Holle arched an eyebrow. Lance was curious about this statement with implications as well. "What else is there?"

After a glance around, the chief leaned in close. "Well, since it's you two and there are no curious ears about. Keep this part hush-hush. With all of those factors plus the media frenzy I have heard about, the prosecution has decided that this case would likely be too much of a headache."

"I've heard of that happening before," Lance said. It was uncommon, but there were those cases where it did happen. It certainly wasn't the only reason behind the decision the higher ups of the department made to only ask that Julia only make a public apology, yet it certainly cemented it.

Holle however, was dumbstruck. He was actually slackjawed for a moment, "Spineless..." was all he managed to squeak out. It was as though someone had come in and scribbled disbelief all over his face.

"Any objections?" asked the chief.

For a moment it seemed Holle was going to scream, but he ultimately only shook his head. "No...none, sir."

"You appear upset."

"I won't lie and say that I'm not." The detective sighed. His next words came out forced, a wrath boiling beneath its low tone. "But I'll respect the department's decision."

"Then there is nothing for any of us to be worked up over! Now, you still have one prisoner who needs processing! Make sure she's attended to." With this, the chief waltzed off towards his office.

The two remained silent for several moments after this. Lance couldn't help but smile at this, even one such as him able to feel the joy of seeing something work out for the better. He thought for sure that Julia's imprisonment was inevitable. But due to the efforts of one young official, she was going to get another chance.

Holle by contrast had an expression that would make a rampaging Tyranitar think twice before crossing him. Lance could only speculate what was going through his mind at that moment. Soon after, they heard the sound of somebody approaching. Holle called out to the officer, amazingly cordial given his mood. "Jenny."

The woman saluted as she continued walking forward. "Detective Holle, sir."

"Julia Parisa is to be released. Chief's decree." Jenny stopped and gasped. "I'm busy, so you make sure the guard gets the message."

"Yes!" she said with a small smile, disregarding whatever she was coming over here for. "I'll get to it right away!"

As soon as the blue-haired officer was out of earshot, Holle glared at Lance. "Well? Are you going to sit there smirking or are you going to go see her? Go on already!" Without waiting for a response, the detective stormed off for his office.

(End flashback)

* * *

As Lance finished giving an abridged account of what happened, Nori nodded. "I see. So I pretty much stirred up a Vespiquen's nest, huh?" The caped man confirmed this, causing Nori to shake his head at himself. That was a bit awkward. He kind of had a problem with doing things like that. Then again, it was hardly the same as just stirring things up. He was taking action himself.

"That is discrediting your own personal actions, but yes," Lance added. "You were the catalyst for Julia being released."

Well, that was one thing. But he still couldn't be happy. "That may be so," he protested. "But what about Mrs. Parisa? I mean if she accepted responsibility for everything, she's probably getting punished severely, right?"

The champion shook his head, "Not so much, actually," he corrected. "Due to her confession, her past contributions to society, and acting in the heat of the moment without knowing the full severity of the situation, the courts are looking to pursue the minimum sentencing for her. She'll only be looking six months probation in which she cannot own, work with, or influence Pokemon in any capacity. After that, she will also need to retake the exam for her caretaker's license."

Nori sighed in disappointment. He wished he could've done more for her. Lance gave him a reassuring look. "It is about as much as you could have asked for."

About as much as he could ask for. Maybe this was the best case scenario after all. "I...guess you're right," he reluctantly conceded. It still didn't mean he was completely happy, but he could live with himself. He guessed.

"You did an excellent job, sir!" came a blusterous voice, as a rather large man came skipping out in front of him. Nori tilted his head.

"Officer Bunston?"

He paused. "Y-Yes! That's still me, Officer Lars Bunston!"

"Shouldn't you be at work?" he asked.

Bunston wagged a finger. "There's things more important than work, sir!" He raised the same finger. "Like bidding someone adieu! And uh, telling you that Connor chap said to say bye!" The officer grinned wildly. "You are headed back today, are you not?"

"Yes, I am," he confirmed. He guess he did kind of not say goodbye to anyone, though not entirely by choice. Well, this was the chance to do so. "I'm glad you're here actually, because I wanted to say thank you for all your help. I don't know if I could've done this without you. Connor too."

The stout man stood as tall as he could. "There is no need to thank me, Mr. Carino, sir!" He proudly pointed both thumbs at himself and grinned. "I was only doing what was right!" This made the boy roll his eyes. It was obvious that the officer was just trying to act cool. But he supposed that's what made him Lars Bunston.

As Nori opened his mouth to speak again, his words stopped short in his throat. The three of them turned to face a man in a dark coat and uniform, marching up and standing in front of the boy. The young official turned to the others. Bunston was frozen in place, Lance simply made a gesture, as if to indicate to Nori it was his to handle.

"So you were here." Detective Holle spoke with scorn dripping from his every word. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, with a stare that seemed as though attempting to stare a hole through the young official. "Well?" he asked. "Are you proud of what you accomplished?"

Nori rubbed his head. What kind of a question was that? "I...think so?"

The detective scoffed at this reply. "I figured you would be," he quipped with all the bitterness of a Rabuta Berry. "You got away with a crime, after all."

"I...know what I did wasn't exactly right! But it wasn't wrong, either!" Nori protested. "Besides, it was all to help Julia! I was just doing all I could think of-"

"Doing what it takes?" Holle interrupted, shaking his head. "A shame you went too far, and a waste that you don't use that drive for the right reasons. Like me."

Just like him. Nori shuddered again at that comparison. He hoped he at least didn't turn out like this when he got older. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he had to ask the detective.

The detective lowered his gaze. "Because, there's one thing you didn't get away with."

Nori's eyes stretched wide. "Wait, what? No! I did what you said! I didn't interfere at all after the fact! And the case was thrown out, too! So it's irrelevant anyway! You can't arrest me!" He fired a defiant glare at Holle, as if trying to make his eyes seem like fire, but it was a very blatant facade.

Holle laughed. "I believe you should be incarcerated. But you won't be today," he said, with a sneer of delight. Nori took a step back in disbelief. Was he played just for that reaction?! "However, I can remind you of what you have brought on." The young official blinked. He looked back at Lance to get an idea of what it might be about, who simply shrugged.

"That girl is going to go free. The department asked she make a public apology, but it will be nothing more than a hollow one." The detective gesticulated with his hands mockingly, before pausing his walking. "Once more, she will go on to meddle in police business and/or capture a Pokemon she has no business capturing. She did it before, and she will do it again." He turned away, looking out the airport's large window. He almost seemed to be sad as he said, "I can't say where it will happen, I can't say when. But it will happen, and it will lead to another tragedy, just like this one. More people will lose their lives." Abruptly, he turned and pointed a finger in Nori's face, just a centimeter from his nose. "All because of your interference in this case!"

Unlike before, Nori remained unflinching, his faith in Julia unshaken. The detective methodically retracted his finger. His expression turned calm, yet had an eerie coldness. With a lethal venom, he growled, "We had better not meet again, Mr. Carino, unless you're on the other side of a prison cell. And..." He paused and smiled. "Remember that actions have consequences. Best of luck with your career."

With those parting words, Holle took a few steps backwards. The detective turned and marched off, shoving both the building's doors out of his way as he departed the terminal.

As soon as he had left, a concerned Bunston spoke up. "Sir...if that really happens-"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Nori interrupted. "I know it won't happen, anyway."

Not missing a beat, the stout officer asked the follow-up question: "Then what are you, sir?"

With a groan of dread, he explained to them, "He said he was going to report me to my superiors." He may have avoided arrest, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to punished for what he did. He could lose his position. Or worse.

Lance shook his head. "I do not believe you need to worry about that," he assured Nori. "I checked into your background myself, and if he does go through with it, I am sure you'll be fine. You did a good job these past few days, Nori. You've made a lot of progress with your position and yourself."

"Really?" he asked, getting a nod from Lance. "Well, I guess I can believe it, if it's coming from a champion." He breathed a sigh of relief, at least one of his worries dealt with. "He's a real piece of work," Nori openly mused, peering at the door. If he really was like Holle, he hoped he would never become this jaded.

"Isn't the force going to discharge him, or punish him, or anything?" he suddenly spoke up. It was something that just came to mind. "I mean, he did try to take advantage of things to make them go the way he wanted. He even publicly admitted it!"

Lance shook his head, "He never did anything to warrant it."

The young official grumbled. "That figures. I guess I should've saw it coming, though." Certainly, the detective knew the law so well he could tow the line if need be. It'd explain his remark about doing what it takes, too.

The champion then did something that made Nori take pause. He gave an uncharacteristic playful smile. "However, wouldn't you say that this is punishment enough for him?"

"What are you talking about?" Nori asked. "Nothing happened to him."

"Exactly. Nothing changed."

He hated when people were vague like that. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "He's still in the same position he was at the start of this." He paused as it hit him. "Wait, you don't mean...that?"

The champion nodded in reply, Nori reciprocating. That was it. That's what made sure he would never be truly like Detective Holle.

"Huh, what? What are you two talking about?" Bunston asked, scratching his hip.

Nori gave a small smile. "This trip was more worthwhile than I thought it'd be going into it. I got to save someone, I got to learn a bunch of things...I even gave Julia the chance to learn and grow, too. And I know she's going to."

Lance nodded in confirmation at this. "But Detective Holle..." he started.

The young official lowered his head. "Even after everything that was shown to him, even as people around him disagree, even after everything that's happened...he still thinks Julia isn't a good person." Stubbornly clinging to his own views and ways. A strange observation suddenly popped into Nori's mind. "He said I was living in an idealistic fantasy world. But...maybe it's him who's trapped in his own world? I mean, he seems to think everyone who commits a crime is bad and irredeemable. Like, I guess his would be a cynical world of regret and resentment."

"That is an interesting way of looking at it," the champion mused, tapping his chin.

"Uh-huh. Never thought that about him before, heh! Pretty sharp thinking, sir!"

It was actually just a weird thought that came out, but it seems it wasn't completely crazy. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Holle. He'd likely be enveloped by his pessimism for the rest of his life.

More importantly, there was himself. This incident seemed like it was never going to end. At times he doubted himself. At times it felt hopeless. But in the end, it all worked out. It was over, and it was all worthwhile. For the first time in days, Nori felt worry-free. "Well, that's a lot off my mind," he declared with a small jump and a smile. "Anyway-"

 ** _"Final boarding call for Flight 468 to-"_**

The chestnut-haired boy yelped. "Ahh! I'm late!" He snatched Bunston's hand, giving it a rapid shake before doing the same to Lance. "Gotta run, thanks again for everything, bye!" He frantically dashed off, leaving the two adults briefly dumbfounded.

"And off he goes," the stout man said.

"One of the youngest officials I've met," the champion mused. "He has a lot of growing to do, but I look forward to seeing the person he becomes." The two remained in quiet reflection for about a minute, before Lance spoke up. "Would you mind if I ask you a question, Mr. Bunston?"

The stout officer grinned and nodded. "Of course, Mr. Champion. Ask away!"

"Why did you take the security tape?"

Not a question he was expecting to be asked. After a moment to consider the wording, he explained, "It was because of how Mr. Carino reacted at the diner that night." He dropped his usual bravado. "I didn't know what to think of this mess at first. But when I saw how strongly he felt, I thought that there might be something to it. When I saw what was happening for myself when working overtime that night, that's when I knew for sure. And I could give him a solution. And you know, if he would stand against Holle, I figured I could too."

The spiky-haired man nodded in agreement. "I admit, it moved me as well." He looked out at the plane, catching sight of Nori boarding. "I'm a bit concerned his outlook may land him in trouble some day. But it will also take him far."

"Of course it will! He's got the right stuff, after all!"

Lance was a bit surprised at Bunston's positivity. Nori may have dedicated all his efforts into helping free Julia, even risking his own neck. But the man he was standing beside had made a very big sacrifice himself, and was acting like it was no big deal. He had to ask, "So what are you going to do now that you're out of a job?"

The former security worker shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure yet. But one thing I am sure about." He walked forward and raised his hand in triumph.

"I regret nothing!"

* * *

Prosecutors not wanting to lay charges on a person for various reasons is a real thing in Japan. This fic's world has a bizarre hybrid American/Canadian/television/etc. law system, so I figured why not add a bit of Japanese flair to it? For that matter, sympathy is a factor in other systems.

Also I lied. Real last chapter is soon.


	9. Bonus Chapter: Crude Girl, Prude Girl

I lied again. Here's a bonus chapter. Delayed things way longer than I wanted, but hopefully the end result is satisfying.

* * *

BONUS CHAPTER: The Crude Girl, the Prude Girl

It had all happened so suddenly.

She had just been minding her own business and wanting to have fun at the park, but she found herself being taken away by police and arrested.

Now she found herself being led through the holding area of the station, by a frizzy red-haired woman named Officer Peake. She tried her best not to look at anyone. Many of them were firing hateful leers her way, among other looks that made her even more uncomfortable. It only made sense, a lot of them could have been Team Rocket members. Or just twisted people in ways she didn't want to think further about on.

Soon the policewoman stopped before one of the cells and called out to another occupant. "Got a cellmate for you, Millward."

Julia froze up as the aqua blue eyes of this sixteen year old fell upon her. She had light-blonde hair that barely reached her neck, and was wearing a white tank top and jean shorts that stopped above her knees. Julia couldn't even imagine why people would dress like this.

A horrible crash echoed behind her, the cell door slamming shut. The girl jumped at the sound, starting and stopping too quickly to react to any other way. There was no escape now. She looked to her cellmate with a panic. At least, she didn't seem like a Team Rocket member. But she was still in jail here, so Julia felt whoever this was can't have been good news.

"A kid, huh?" the girl casually asked, somewhat bemused by Julia's age. She put a hand on her hip and smirked. "So what're you in for?"

Julia was quiet. This girl was scaring her. If someone as young as her was in here, they had to be a really bad person. And she'd have to be in this cell with this person for who knows how long. She was not liking this at all.

"Come on, man. They had to have thrown you in here for a reason."

She didn't know. No, rather. She wasn't completely sure. They said things. What was it again that they said? It wasn't registering right now. Should she even tell her?

"Do you at least you got a name?"

If she told her that, this girl could track her down. Besides, why should she tell her that? It made no sense. No, nothing about this situation made any sense.

Suddenly the blonde took a few steps back. "Hey, if it'll make ya feel more comfy, I'll tell you why I'm in here first," she told Julia, who couldn't believe this girl's shameless tone. "So I'm Mandi. With an I, not a Y. You know that teacher at the high school with the stick up his ass, Mr. Hankerton?" She laughed at her own words.

Hearing that made her finally snap. "No! I don't know anything!" she yelled. "I was just traveling through here on my journey and the next thing I know some police officers are dragging me into their car! They read me my rights but I don't know what's going on! Then they put me in here! They barely told me why or anything!"

A silence drew over the two. A wide-eyed Mandi finally broke it by simply saying, "Uh, wow."

"Julia Parisa!"

She turned around to see Office Peake again, once more opening the door to the cell. She prayed to Arceus that this was a just misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up, but the redhead's next words extinguished that hope entirely.

"You're wanted in questioning."

Mandi chuckled. "Well, looks like you're about to find out."

* * *

It was a little over two hours later that Julia finally returned to the cell. Mandi, who had been leaning against a wall, looked up and over to the young girl. She quickly turned her head so that no one saw her huff, but turned it back just as fast. This girl looked bad before, but she looked like a wreck now. Her face was all red, and her breathing seemed labored. That was just the tip of things, too.

"So what happened?" she decided to ask, straight-up. The reply was unintelligible. The delinquent girl marched in closer. "Hey, speak up. Find out why you're in here?"

Though quiet and hard to make out through her sobs, one part was clear, "...Gyarados."

"A Gyarados? What about it?"

"I...Geraldine...she...they..." Julia suddenly let out a wail and started full-on crying.

She had no idea what was up with this girl, besides her clearly being out of it. Geraldine? A Gyarados? What was going on? Wait, one thing came to mind. She remembered hearing something that might be related. "This about that weird-colored Gyarados?" A shot in the dark, but worth asking.

Julia's nod seemed almost reflexive.

So there it was. She heard about this from people chatting in the prison and the cops walking by. Someone released a Gyarados into the Lake of Rage and it went on a rampage. So it was this preteen girl who owned it, probably some traveling trainer. But holding her accountable for it? That was effed up as far as Mandi was concerned. She didn't even know why they would throw someone in jail for releasing a Pokemon.

But as for this girl, she couldn't help but grin. Someone her age and with her certain level of experience capturing something like that? Even if she wasn't really a trainer herself, she couldn't help but respect that. "Man, you gotta be one badass trainer," she said.

The younger girl seemed surprised at this compliment, if unsure what to make of it. "You...think so?"

"Totally," Mandi gave a thumbs up in assurance. "You have to be hardcore to catch one of those things. Why'd the hell you release it, though?"

The brown-haired girl remained silent for several seconds, then looked away. "Mom made me..."

"Parents, pft. What've they ever done for us?" Mandi blew it off with a handwave, not noticing Julia lightly clenching her fists at this remark. This Julia Parisa was all right as far as she was concerned. That last name got her thinking, though. "By the way, wondering something. You related to Amara Parisa?"

Julia snapped upright. "That's none of your business!"

The blonde girl was quiet for several seconds. "Maybe," she conceded with a shrug. It was a bit of a personal thing to ask. That reaction told her everything she needed to know, though, and she let Julia know it, "Kind of a dead giveaway when you say that, you know."

The brown-haired girl gave her a silent, hateful glare for a moment. It wasn't clear to Mandi if it was from her callout or something else. She could see the resemblance, and if it hadn't been for that reaction or a direct confirmation, wouldn't have believed she was cut from the same cloth as that rebel at all. Suddenly, the girl spoke again, "Sorry, but can you not talk to me?"

Mand blinked at this request, more like demand in its tone. "Why not?"

"Because, you're a criminal!" came the shouted reply. "You do bad things! I don't want to talk to criminals like you!"

"Hey, you're a criminal too, you know," Mandi swiftly replied with a bit of a smirk on her face. "That's why you're in here."

"I am not!" Julia protested with a firm shake of her head. "I just...I just made a mistake!"

"And they're calling you a criminal for it."

"There's a difference!"

"Not as far as the cops are concerned." The blonde girl said this in a way that both harshly hit her with reality and indicated that it was something she wasn't too happy about either. "As they see it, you're as bad as me, and we're both as bad as one of those stupid Team Rocket thugs."

"I heard that, brat!" one of said thugs screamed.

While the young girl was startled and instinctively ran to the bed as if to hide there, Mandi remained unphased. "Oh, get bent." Not like he could do anything about it. She ignored his further shouts of rage to turn to address Julia further. "Anyway, as long as you're in here-"

"I said I don't want to talk to you and that's final!"

Ironically, it was this and Julia's subsequent turning away and crossing her arms that startled Mandi more than anything else. She could understand a bit of shock and denial, or being presumptuous about what a person had done and why. But going this far and thinking herself above everyone else? What was wrong with this girl? That attitude was going to land her in trouble in here if she paraded it. Not that it really mattered to her. She shook her head. "Well, if you're going to act that way, whatever. Don't care. Just trying to be nice, you prude..."

* * *

It was much later on that night, and bedtime was looming for those in the Mahogany Town Police Headquarters' holding cells. The day had completely worn Julia out, so much that even if she hadn't been refusing to speak to her cellmate, she likely wouldn't have spoken to her anyway. She had spent much of the day crying to herself over the events. The autistic girl had been hoping the entire time that this was all a misunderstanding that was going to be worked out quickly, but it never came to pass. Now she was going to have to spend the night here. Not even able to change into her pajamas, but at least she could wear her own clothes for now. She was entirely alone...no, that wasn't true, but it would be better if she was.

She glanced over to the cell's other occupant, quickly looking away in disgust. The older girl had cast off all of her clothes aside from her undergarments, and was standing in plain sight of her like it was no big deal. Then she started casually walking up to her. How could anyone be so shameless?!

"Hey, which bunk you want?"

She started leaning against the bedside, and there she was trying to talk to her again. Even in moments like these she was sticking to her guns. Without so much as a word, she climbed to the top and threw the covers over herself.

The delinquent let out a dejected vocalization. "You really gonna be like that?"

Yes, she was. Why would she ever treat a bad person any other way? Maybe she was being 'friendly' now, but that's probably just from being twisted in her ways. She probably just mistakenly sees a kindred spirit. Well, Julia knew she and this girl were nothing alike. And as soon as she hopefully got out of here, she wouldn't have to have anything to do with her ever again.

Julia tossed and turned, trying her best to get comfortable. These beds were not great. She could tolerate their rigidness, having camped outside a few times on her journey. But the sheets were a different story, being far too thin and not doing a good job of keeping her warm. Even trying to cocoon herself in them didn't help.

Actually, it wasn't just that. It was everything around her. The cold stone walls, the grim atmosphere, the person sleeping below her, everyone being bad to entirely hostile, the ambient chatter and scraping noises made by said people, not having any of her friends or Pokemon close by. There was no safety or security in here. Her mind was filled with dread, and it seemed there was no easing it..

Then an idea came to her. She wasn't sure how good it was or how it would turn out. She never actually had been to a church before, and her only familiarity with prayer was in passing. Her family never was overly religious in that regard. But at this point she was willing to try just about anything if it would have even the slightest chance of getting her out of here.

The brown-haired girl sat up and went into a kneeling position. She placed her hands together. This couldn't hurt. Maybe it wouldn't help either. She was just winging this from what little she knew, but may as well try.

"I've never really prayed before, but I don't know what else to do. Arceus...I don't know if you really exist or not...or if you can really hear me...but please, please, please...get me out of here! I don't want to spend my whole life in jail! I'd rather go back to school than be stuck in prison forever and ever! I promise I'll take all the responsibility I can for what Geraldine did and do whatever I'm told and never complain about anything ever again! Until then...please don't let anything bad happen to me. I've heard so many horrible stories about people getting hurt or killed in jail, in ways I can't bring myself to say out loud. Let this be over soon! Amen to infinity!"

Quiet. For a second Julia thought she hear something from below her, but paid it no heed. She hoped that her desperate plea did reach the heavens, instead of being swallowed by the darkness of this prison. It didn't ease her mind as much as she had hoped. Whatever the case, her fate was out of her hands now, and it didn't sit well with her at all.

Well, there was nothing more she was able to do. She could only close her eyes, try to get to sleep, and hope tomorrow would not be as bad as today was.

* * *

The next day around noon, Julia found herself outside of her cell temporarily. She learned that the station allows those in its holding cells out at this time in order to stretch and get lunch, in a controlled area. It was in fact optional. She had not wanted to do this. Really, being out among a bunch of bad people who've done who-knows-what was the absolute last thing she wanted to be doing in this situation. Everyone seemed against her in here. It was like being in school again, only much much worse. All the people screaming at each other and sometimes getting physical her made her want to just cover her ears and curl up. But her stomach screaming at her demanded otherwise.

The holding area was a series of cells arranged in a rectangle, with cells on both the outside,and inside, the latter being the case of her cell. Freedom was at the hall on one of the short sides. She accidentally went there and was yelled at by a guard. It had already taken a ton of effort to drag herself to this point, but after that her pace had practically slowed to a frightened crawl.

As it turned out, her fears were not entirely unfounded. Two teenage boys who were loitering in the halls spotted her. One had a wirey frame and long wirey orange hair, and the other was short with greasy black hair with red highlights.

"Hey, check it out," the latter nudged his friend.

"What?"

The short one grinned. "It's that kid who crashed our base."

"Really?" He leaned in closer, squinting to get a better look. "Yeah, it is. Why's she in here?"

"Don't know, don't care. It's our lucky day, though."

His friend was already thinking the same thing, and the two advanced on Julia together. The boy with highlighted hair ran out in front of her as if he was rushing ahead. The girl jumped and turned around to go the other way, only to find the lanky one behind her. She turned around to see the other facing her.

"Uhh...w-who are you?" she asked, hoping this wasn't what she thought it was.

"We're from Team Rocket," the orange-haired one boasted.

Through clenched teeth, the short one growled at her as menacingly as he was able to. "You got us put in jail, kid! Now we're gonna take it out of your face."

The two started to close in on her. Julia shuddered, curling up defensively. Of course Team Rocket members were going to be in here. Of course they were going to be angry with her. Even these ones who looked like teenagers. Still in spite of this, she stood as firm as she could. "Hey, leave me alone!" she threatened, even as her voice broke a little as she did so. "I'm...going to scream if you do anything!"

"Ha! You really think anyone'll come running to help?" the short boy scoffed.

His friend smirked. "We'll just have to make it quick in any case."

"Hey, cover her mouth. That'll shut her up."

"On it."

Before she could even think to run away, the lanky boy grabbed her by the arms. Though not the strongest person, he was easily able to overpower Julia. He quickly pulled her in closer, using one arm to restrain her and the other practically clamping around her face. She tried to scream but it came out muffled. The short teenager grinned like a Sneasel toying with its pray, before slowly advancing on her.

He cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna enjoy this..."

This was it. Something really bad was going to happen. Never mind being stuck in here. She might not make it out of prison at all. Just as the boy was bringing back his fist, Julia found herself tumbling to the ground before it even made impact. A yelp rang out, but it wasn't her own.

"Hey, back off!" came a vaguely familiar voice. She didn't care whose it was. As soon as she got her bearings she ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.

The lanky boy quickly regained his balance. "What's it to you?" he demanded to know from his own assaulter. He gave his best and fiercest glare to her, as if to tell the girl standing before them that she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

"You heard me," Mandi reiterated. She was not only not intimidated by these kids younger than her, but her own glare was genuine. "Get away from her before I get mad."

The short boy laughed at this, which was a sudden high-pitched squeal. "Hey, we were in Team Rocket, you know!" he boasted with a point. "So you better watch yourself, or-"

The delinquent girl silenced this threat with another shove, this one with enough force to send the greasy-haired teen falling to the ground. She leveled a fist in his face. "You get the hell out or I knock your damn teeth out. What's it gonna be?"

The two former Team Rocket members exchanged worried glances. The lanky one yanked his friend to his feet. "C'mon, let's get outta here!"

"Right!" The two took off in a hurry.

"Yeah, you better run you little sissies!"

Mandi kept glaring at the two running away like a dowsed Growlithe until they were out of sight, flipping them off for good measure. Maybe they had been in Team Rocket. But they were probably just a bunch of kids who joined up thinking it would make them tough. Yet all it really made them was paper tigers. She smirked to herself. It was always fun to push those kinds around, seeing their tough guy acts fall apart so fast.

The delinquent girl shook her head and turned back to check on Julia, but she was already gone. She imagined the younger girl had gotten out of there the moment she could. Well, wherever she went, she was safe from those two. That's all that mattered to Mandi at that moment.

* * *

As it turned out, Julia had ended up running back to their cell. Mandi found this out as soon as she got back to it. The two were still not speaking to each other, as one of them had insisted since yesterday. But now, it was more of an awkward silence. It was finally broken around an hour and a half later, and by the one who initiated it.

"Hey?"

Mandi had been leaning against a wall. She tilted her head down at Julia, who had been sitting on the bottom bunk. "Yeah?"

Julia was quiet at first. There, she started conversation. Now what should she say from here? She was never the best at this sort of thing. Maybe just up and say what's on her mind? "Why did you help me? I didn't want anything to do with you and said all those things. And you called me a prude too. But you still helped me. Why?"

The reply from Mandi was swift. "Like hell I was going to let them do whatever they wanted."

Again, an awkward silence. She had her answer, and so quickly too. She wasn't sure what else to say. Even Mandi suddenly turned away and adjusted her bangs, as if a bit uncertain herself.

"Well...thank you," Julia said. The brown-haired girl lowered her head. It was so weird to be saying this to someone who did bad things. But she couldn't deny that Mandi had helped her back there. If it hadn't been for her...she didn't dare imagine what those boys would have done to her. Why would she do something like that, though? This Mandi girl did something bad, that's why she's in here. So why would someone who did something bad stop someone else who was doing bad things? Maybe it was just hatred? She did imply she hated Team Rocket. That had to be it, right?

"So you decided you do want to talk with me, huh?" She looked up to see Mandi near her, flashing her a bit of a teasing smirk. Yet she could tell there was no real malice in it.

"I just figured I should, that's all." Julia had never expected it to come to this. It was right to thank someone, so she didn't mind that. Yet she didn't expect to find herself talking to someone in a prison so cordially. "I'm going to have to be around you for a while, and I guess..."

She paused. No, she may as well just up and say it.

"...you're not that bad a person."

Julia was worried that was going to sound cheesy or that this girl would take it entirely the wrong way or react badly and get mad or anything else. But much to her surprise and relief, Mandi just smiled and nodded. "Sounds good, J."

Julia blinked. She realized quickly that was just a friendly nickname the blonde teenager had given her. But it still didn't change how she was very uncomfortable with it. "I'd...really rather you not call me that."

"Okay?" Mandi stared at her, confused. "What you want me to call you, then?"

"I don't know." Julia shook her head, also confused but also a little frustrated. This was new ground for her. Was a nickname really needed? "Julia is fine. My friend sometimes call me Jule, too."

She was met with a handwave. "That's boring as hell. How's 'lia sound?"

"Okay, but..."

"What's up?"

Something inside her was speaking to her. If there was good in this person, she felt this person could see good too. And so she had to help set her on the right path.

"You're being crude. You shouldn't say curse words. You shouldn't say them at all, because they're rude, and it makes you look really bad-"

"Shut the **** up, ya ****in' kids! I have a ****in' headache here and I'm tryin' to ****in' sleep!"

Julia's hands flew to her ears at this sudden vulgar tirade from the cell next to them. Mandi snapped to attention too, raising an eyebrow at it. When he stopped, they exchanged awkward glances, communing the same thing to each other. It was the afternoon. He was tired now?

Mandi suddenly snorted. "Hey, gonna give him that lecture too?"

The teasing almost didn't register to Julia, but she brushed it off anyway since it seemed she was making fun of that guy more than her. "...that would probably be a bad idea."

The blonde girl just grinned wider. "Not like he could stop you where he is," she egged on.

"I don't think provoking him would be smart in any case..."

Mandi shrugged. "You're no fun." Julia almost couldn't believe that. What could be fun about being in here? "Anyway, don't be such a prude. Curses are just words people say. Sometimes for emphasis, sometimes..." And with this she looked over to the source of the rant. "...like that." She had some disapproval in her tone. So at least she didn't like it, either.

"I still don't thi-" But she found herself cut off again, this time by her stomach suddenly rumbling loudly. It was enough that Mandi's gaze actually shifted to it. "Oh..."

"Didn't you eat?" the blonde girl inquired.

"I couldn't. Those guys..." She trailed off.

"Oh, those sissies," Mandi didn't hide her derision, turning the sarcasm in her voice all the way up.

"I hope I can get out of here so I can just get the food I want when I want, and not have to be around people like them or adults screaming at each other."

"Hope you got someone who could help with that, then."

Too true. She heard all these crime stories about criminals without lawyers receiving a swift sentencing. But wait, she actually did have help. "Someone actually promised to help me."

"Really?" Mandi's interest was genuinely piqued by this. "Who?"

"An official Pokemon rehabilitator named Nori. He actually looked around thirteen." His age more than anything surprised her. That was around her sister's age, and here he was working for the police in some capacity.

"Never heard of that rehabilitator thing. But I hear like, the International Police will hire anyone, regardless of their age." Well, Nori didn't say he was working with them, but if they did it, maybe others would too. Mandi tapped her chin. "Thirteen though, damn." Looked like she wasn't alone in her surprise at that.

"He was really nice. Really easy to talk to, too." She sighed, thinking back to how their conversation was rudely interrupted. "Though that detective was listening in on us..."

"Holle?"

"Yes..."

"Bah, so you got him too. Should've figured." Mandi paused for a moment. "Think this Nori kid can get you out of here?"

She nodded, even though she knew it was a hopeful nod. "Well, I really hope he can, becau-"

"Julia Parisa!"

The autistic girl nearly jumped out of her skin on hearing her name suddenly called. She and Mandi turned to see a female officer with frizzy red hair standing in front of their cell.

"You are being called to questioning." She said this, but used the tone as if it were an order. Officer Peake slid the cell door open. Julia's hands covered her ears as the unoiled squeaky metal grinded against itself.

"Damn it..." Mandi grumbled. Julia sharing in her frustration.

"I hope it isn't that detective again..."

"It probably is..."

"Ugh..." She did not want to deal with him again. He always got right in her face, demanding to know things or yelling at her for what she did. Even when he was being quiet and letting his subordinates do the talking to her, he still loomed in the room, never once taking his scrutinizing eyes off what was going on. The less said about him barging in after her talk with Nori, the better.

Officer Peake clapped loudly. "Come on, move it! Hup-two-three-four!"

Julia looked over to Mandi, who shook her head in resigned irritation. "We'll just have to pick this up later."

A sad fact. She managed to carry herself out of the cell. She was not looking forward to this at all, but there was no getting out of it, either.

* * *

The prisoners in the Mahogany Town Police Headquarters' holding cells were served three square meals a day. While prisoners were expected to go out and get lunch themselves if they wanted it, breakfast and dinner were delivered directly to them through a chute. It was just big enough for a tray, and could only be opened at one end at a time. The utensils were made of simple plastic.

The food wasn't great. In the morning, Julia had been given oatmeal. It was only lukewarm, and it didn't have any flavor or texture to it at all. The first evening she was here, she had...some kind of meat. It was ground up so much she didn't know what it originally was. It had a bizarre tangy taste to it, at least offset by the peas in the dish. The food in front of her now was somehow even worse. It was some kind of slimy goop with little chunks of ham and celery in it. She hoped it was just a really messy shepherd's pie.

Regardless of look or taste, she still managed to eat her entire bowl. With how hungry she was, she could've eaten anything they put in front of her as long as it wasn't poisonous or dangerous. She was actually apprehensive about this dish at first, but Mandi talked her into it, assuring her the prison wouldn't actually kill anyone with their food, even if it seems like they're trying to at times. When Julia was done, she remained sitting there. Her stomach rumbled, but she was uncertain if it was from wanting more or this...stuff not sitting well in there.

More of it suddenly dropped into her bowl. She looked up to see Mandi standing there. "Here, got you a bit of extra food," she said. "Don't ask how. I just did."

It was really obvious to Julia how Mandi did it. She was just sharing her own. It was really kind of her to do that, but it bugged her. "You really didn't have to do this, you know...especially for me."

"Of course I did," she insisted. "You didn't eat earlier 'cause of those losers. You gotta eat. So have a bit more than you'd usually have."

"I guess."

It still didn't taste all that great. In fact it didn't even taste like food, at least any food she had eaten. Earlier she could get through it because she was hungry enough to do so. She could barely tolerate this slop now, however. Still, Mandi looking at her with an expectant smile coerced her into taking a few more spoonfuls of it. It was actually helping, she could admit that much. Mandi didn't seem to mind it, yet she gave up some of her own. Why would she do that? She might go hungry herself. It didn't make sense. In any way!

"What's the matter?" Mandi seemed to note her downcast expression and slowed pace of eating.

A lot was the matter. She started crying. "I don't get it! How can you be so nice and they be so...so..." This didn't make sense in any way, either. "I thought the police are supposed to be the good guys."

"Heh." To her surprise, Mandi was not only unbothered by this question, but gave an immediate answer. "That's easy, 'lia. Good and bad doesn't mean what's the law. Like you met that detective. He's a cop, but he's a total dick, right?"

"Well...sure, but..." She couldn't imagine herself using a word like that to describe that detective.

"And same thing," Mandi followed up. "You might meet some criminals who aren't that bad. A few may even have their reasons."

"You mean...like my sister?"

A nod. "Yeah, exactly."

Julia gasped, only then realizing what she had just said. She didn't mean to. But there she was throwing it out there in the open. To her further surprise though, Mandi just put a hand on her hip.

"Wanna talk about it?"

She really didn't want to. At least, not in here. But Mandi seemed to know about her anyway, and didn't seem to mind talking about it. She might actually understand, too. So what could the harm be? Maybe it would make her feel a little better getting it off her chest.

"My sister is Amara Parisa, just like you thought. And I guess you know what she did too, right?"

Mandi nodded with a smirk. "She's kinda the talk of those like me. She's fighting the power and winning."

That made things a bit easier. Meant she wouldn't have to explain anything at least. Still, that didn't mean those views were right. "Well, it isn't all that great to me. She stole a Pokemon and is on a journey illegally," Julia said. "In fact, part of the reason why I started my own journey is to try to find her and make sure she's captured."

The younger girl paused, again realizing what she just said. If Mandi was for some reason a fan of her sister, would she like that she was trying to capture her? Or that Amara was part of the reason for her journey? She had received criticism for that before from even her friends at some points. "...you don't think that's stupid, do you?"

"Eh." The blonde girl shrugged. "It's all right. You got actual purpose, not like those kids with big dreams and little talent wanting to be the very best. Why I never went on one." She tapped her chin and smirked. "Yet, at least."

That came as a big relief to her. She continued, "Anyway, Amara's done all sorts of bad things since she left. I guess you heard about all that too. I still love her, since she is my sister. She didn't used to be like this at all. But since that accident with her friend, she's become a horrible person. So...so I..." Julia tried to find further words, but could not.

"Hey."

Mandi cut in during her momentary pause. She was looking directly at Julia, with a seriousness she hadn't expected to see from someone like her. "Don't think too bad of her. She effed up, sure. We all do. Kinda like how we did. It happens, it's part of life. But as long as you learn from what you did, it's all good in the end, right?"

Julia slowly nodded. The delinquent girl sighed. She paced, looking up for a moment before looking back at her. "Trouble is, sometimes they don't want to give us the chance. Like I hear once you're on that blacklist it's damn near impossible to get off it. So I bet she just wanted to take it into her own hands. And I know she did a bunch of different things besides just jacking a Pokemon, but I don't think it's because she's like one of those Rockets. I think she's just pissed at everything and trying to make it right in her own way."

Those were...very good points. Julia never thought of it that way before. Now that she really thought about it, there were signs that the sister she'd always known and loved was still in there, deep down inside. Still, she couldn't turn away from some facts.

"Amara is going to have to answer for what she did..."

A shrug. "Yeah, probably."

"But I don't know what to do about her anymore."

Having been in here herself, she wouldn't wish prison on anyone who didn't really really deserve to be in here. And that's what had been on her mind. If Amara really was just troubled at heart, did she really fit the mold? Something had to be done about her, sure. But what was there they could do besides that? And would the law even allow it?

Mandi sat down on the bed, leaning back on it. While stretching, she said, "Well, not gonna tell you what to do. You can do what you want, after all."

"If I get out of here..." She could barely do anything in here. She didn't want to imagine how restricted actual prison would be like. "Do you think I can?"

"Here's hoping."

"My friends and that official boy said they'd help, but..."

"But what?"

The autistic girl sighed. "A lot of things." There were a lot of things on her mind. "I guess most important, I don't know if they really can. Will adults really listen to them?"

Mandi shrugged and sat up. "To that official kid, yeah. Dunno if that dick will listen. But you got a shot in him at least."

It wasn't really reassuring hearing that, but Julia could tell Mandi was trying to help console her. Still, and speaking of her, Julia couldn't help but feel really bad about how she had been acting. Well, no choice. She had to address the Donphan in the room. "Hey, sorry for not talking to you and calling you crude, Mandi," she apologized. "I thought you were just a mean person who deserved to be in here, but you're actually pretty nice..."

The delinquent girl waved it off. "It's all good, 'lia, don't worry about it." She looked up to consider something, then said, "Guess you're not THAT much of a prude if you can say that much."

Julia smiled the faintest of smiles at those words, before the reality of her situation overtook her again. "I really hope Nori can do something...I don't want to be in here. Even with you being nice, it's still really loud. There are a lot of actually bad people around yelling at each other. The food is terrible. It's cold and dark. These beds are uncomfortable. You can't really walk around in here. I hate not being able to see my Pokemon and friends. It's a hundred times worse than school ever was for me."

"Well, let's hope he does. It'd make things way easier." Mandi again looked up for a moment. She held it for longer, but eventually she stood up, placing a hand on her hip and giving an assuring wink. "But if you do get stuck in there, I'll stick by ya throughout. Long as I can anyway."

Julia was surprised by those words. Mandi really considered her worth enough to do something like that? It didn't make her feel any better about possibly going to jail, but it made her feel just a bit safer. "Thanks, Mandi."

"Hey, no prob," she played it cool. "Just doing what I can, you know?"

Julia smiled back. Maybe they had gotten off to a rough start, but she felt like she could get along with Mandi. Maybe they were nothing alike, and maybe they couldn't be true friends due to those differences. But now she realized that didn't mean they couldn't co-exist. It was certainly going to make being in here a lot easier.

* * *

Later on that night, Julia was given the shock of a lifetime: her own mother, thrown in jail and in the same cell as her. There was immediate friction between her and Mandi - who had insisted on staying even before they found out who it was. Despite her efforts to convince her mother that Mandi wasn't all that bad, she insisted that she was a bad influence on her. Even when she relented that Nori wasn't a bad person. This bothered her, but at least Mandi didn't seem too discouraged by it, and the worst she did in reply back was say her mother wasn't the boss of her.

Time seemed to fly by from there. Before it was dragging on, as if her time in here might never end. But having two people she felt she could trust in there alongside her made things easier. But before long, the day had arrived. Her fate was staring her in the face, and she'd heard no word on what Nori could have done. She had been praying for his success, for something, anything to happen that could get her out of here. But nothing anyone was doing seemed to help.

"Well, looks like it's time." Mandi said.

Julia was sitting on the bottom bunk, her entire posture drooping like a Sunflora that had been devoid of sunlight for ages. This was it. She was going to go to jail properly for possibly forever. She would probably never see her friends or her Pokemon ever again. And even in spite of Mandi, she would still be surrounded by criminals who did all sorts of terrible things.

The teenaged girl walked over to her in concern. "You gonna be all right?"

"How could I be all right?!" Julia got the energy to sit up yell with tears in her eyes. That was almost insulting for her to ask that.

Mandi slapped her forehead. "Right, dumb question. Never mind."

"Julia Parisa!"

An officer had walked up to the cell. She unlocked it and slid the door open. It was someone else than they were used to calling for her. Standing in front of the cell was Officer Jenny. She was smiling. Way happier than someone should ever look in a prison. It didn't register with anyone what might be happening until she said the words.

"You're free to go!"

"What?" Julia and her mother said in unison.

"Whoa! Hell yeah!" Mandi did a fistpump. "Guess he must've done it!" She forcibly grabbed Julia and pulled her into a brief hug, giving her a hearty slap on the back. "Congrats, 'lia!"

She went to pull away, but Julia latched on, sobbing with joy into her. Mandi was startled by this sudden show. She looked over to Mrs. Parisa, who seemed just as taken aback by it as her. This was new territory for the delinquent girl. What to do? Maybe giving her more pats on the back, though these ones more comforting?

"It's all good," she did her best to say in an assuring voice. "Everything's gonna be fine now." This was somewhat awkward for her, even if she didn't mind. She hoped for someone to break it up, and had her wish granted when a man with spiky red hair and a cape stepped into view.

"There are a few conditions with this release. However, they can wait until after you've finished."

His voice got Julia to take pause. Mandi rubbed her eyes to see if they were seeing it right, and they were. What the hell was the champion doing here?! She supposed Julia had some friends in high places. Mandi looked down at the brown-haired girl, who had stopped crying for now.

Julia peered up at Mandi. She couldn't believe this. She thought for sure she was going to be in prison for the rest of her life, trapped a tiny box with metal bars, wearing only a flimsy orange jumpsuit and eating terrible food with no flavor or made her feel nauseous. With the screaming and yelling, and the sleepless nights brought on by those. She didn't dare let her imagination go too far, like showering surrounded by others, especially strangers.

But against all the odds, a miracle had happened. Nori must have come through for her after all. No more jail! Freedom at last! Before, she felt as though she were trapped in a dark, loud abyss, never to come out. Now she didn't want to trade places with an angel. There weren't enough thanks in the world she could give to the young official.

Sure, Nori wasn't here to do that anyway, but two others were. She felt a pang in her heart as she realized she would have to say goodbye to them. Luckily, one of them made it easy, by speaking to her first.

"Man, I'd love to have seen the look on that dick's face when he found out you got out."

"Yeah! He is a-..." Julia caught herself. She was that mad at the guy, but didn't want to call him that in front of her mother. "Well, I hate him! I hate him for everything he tried to do to me! I hate him for all the bad things he said about me! I hope he gets fired for trying to do this to me, so that he never tries to do it to anyone else ever again!"

"Don't get your hopes up. Cops like him always seem to find a way to get off."

Julia's fists scrunched up. She could believe it. It still didn't change her stance, though. "But that's not right!"

"I know," Mandi threw up her arms. "It's like, what the hell?!"

The autistic girl sighed. Everything she thought about the law had been turned upside down in the span of a few days. She met a police officer who was one of the worst people she had met, and he was getting away with being a jerk to others. And she had met a delinquent who had turned out to be surprisingly kind, but was going to jail for a crime anyway.

"Hey, Mandi?" She couldn't help but ask this question, worry hanging over her like a cloud. "You asked me if I'm going to be all right, and I guess now I am. What about you, though?"

To her surprise, Mandi waved it off with a, "Pft." She smirked. "It was just a bit of vandalism. Only gonna be in there for like sixty days at worst." Sixty days?! That was a very long time how she saw it. Just these past few were more than enough for a lifetime. Seeing her worried look, Mandi knelt down and patted her on the shoulders. "I'll be fine, 'lia. I can take care of myself. You just get out there and show the world who you really are."

Well, as long as she could handle it, she guessed she didn't have to worry. "Thank you, I will. And you, umm..." What to say to her? "...try not to do anything bad to get put in here again, okay?"

Mandi stood up, silently. For a moment, Julia was concerned. She knew in her heart Mandi wasn't bad, and didn't want to see her throw her life away. To her relief, the teenaged girl relented. "I guess I better, you're right."

The two exchanged smiles. With this, Julia turned towards her mother.

"Mom? What about you?"

Kassia Parisa stood there, still as a statue. She was so shellshocked by this turn of events that she couldn't do anything but watch.

"Are you okay?"

Her daughter asking that brought her out of it. "Yes. I'm just...really glad you're free. That's all I ever wanted to see from this. What happens to me doesn't matter." It hurt her to say that. She remained as strong as she could as she gave some final encouragement to Julia, "No matter what happens, or how hard life gets, don't ever give up. Never forget who you are, and that there's always nice, kind people in the world. You and Amara will always be my daughters, and I'll always be thinking about you. You'll always be my sweet, kind, wonderful little girl."

Julia wished there was something she could do for her mother. But there was nothing. She was just a kid, and not someone in a position like Nori. It seemed a huge struggle for even him, so she had absolutely no hope of fighting the law.

Officer Jenny nodded and looked to Julia. She gestured as if it was time to go. Julia took a few preliminary steps towards her, then looked back. Tears started to fill her eyes. She spoke as she slowly stepped backwards.

"Mom, I...I'm going to miss you so much! I'll think about you every day! I'll write you all the time when I can! I'll even come visit whenever I can, even though Mahogany Town is far away! I love you. Bye, mom! Just for now!"

She didn't want to say goodbye. She almost didn't want to leave, either. It broke her heart to see her mother in here, when all she was trying to do was be a good responsible parent. But Julia felt that if she didn't leave, she really would be here forever. With tears in her eyes, she walked over to Lance. With a nod of understanding, the champion gestured for her to follow him towards her freedom from this prison.

Officer Jenny closed the cell door, and with that, the two remaining occupants were left alone in there. It was silent, aside from the rabble of the prisoners around them. Mandi broke it with a light chuckle.

"That speech was a bit corny," she teased without hostility.

She was guilty as charged on that front. "It was all I could think to say."

"She seemed to enjoy it, at least."

The two were again quiet after this. Mandi stretched her arms and her legs out. She placed her hands together and folded them outwards to crack her knuckles. "Probably gonna be my time to head out soon."

"Say...Mandi, was it?" Kassia spoke up.

"Yeah? What's up?" the blonde girl practically fired back. "Gonna chew me out for being a bad influence again?"

"No I...just wanted to say thank you for looking out for Julia."

She blinked. "Oh, that? It's no sweat." She looked away for a moment, looking back and then up at the ceiling. "Good she got off for this, though. They'd eat someone like her alive in juvie."

"That's what I was most afraid of happening." So it had occurred to someone else too. It was a fear that had surfaced for both of her daughters since this incident started. While she felt Amara might be able to handle it, she knew full well Julia could not. That's not to say everything was going to work out in the end, however. "I just hope Julia will be all right after this."

Mandi flashed a smile of assurance at her. "I think she'll be fine. She's tougher than she looks." She had full confidence as she said these words.

"Well, what I mean is..." she began, "She's always been a sensitive girl. With everything that's happened, and being in an environment like this, I was afraid she'd wind up changing into someone I might not recognize."

After a momentary confused pause, the blonde girl asked, "Well, isn't changing and growing up part of life?"

Kassia sighed. "I don't think you got my point, but you're not exactly wrong on that one." It was in fact a very simple way of putting it. Kassia was more worried about the lasting trauma this incident was going to have on Julia. She lost one of her Pokemon and was in jail for a few days, among other things. You don't just walk away from that unscathed, especially at her age. But Mandi did have kind of a point. And it seemed she was trying her best in her own way to help.

"You know..." She had to confess. "I did misjudge you at first. I see now that you're a good kid, in spite of how you present yourself. I hope you know that you're worth something in this world, even if others might not see or acknowledge what you have to offer."

Mandi seemed almost taken aback by this assessment. "I am who I am and don't you forget it," she snapped. It was reflexive, though. She sighed to say she was sorry.

"But...thank you."

It's not that she didn't like it or anything, she just wasn't used to praise like this. Maybe she was right. No, she definitely was. Mandi actually wasn't sure at first if things would work out for her beyond this. She had told Julia to go out there and show the world who she really is. It didn't occur to her that maybe she could do the same.

So maybe in the end, things could work out for her too.

* * *

Mandi was originally significantly more vulgar, but I toned her back for rating reasons. Also cut out about a quarter of this - should be obvious what - since it was mostly extraneous and I moved only important point (Mandi pointing out Julia would not do well in juvie) to the end anyway.


	10. Chapter 9: Ever Moving Forward

Final Chapter: Ever Moving Forward

In life, one will run into many situations where matters are far from ideal. The troubles they can cause range from small to grand. Individuals involved in these matters might think it easier to accept them and go with the flow. But if you do nothing and accept things as they are, nothing will change. To make a difference and change things, there are times when you need to have the courage to stand up, no matter the difficulty or potential consequences in doing so. Nori knew that, and knew that it could change people's lives forever.

* * *

The sun was shining down brilliantly upon Mahogany Town. As she stepped out of the police department, Julia reflexively shielded her eyes. She had been in that dingy cell for so long, she had forgotten how bright it could be outside. But she was now free and able to enjoy it. In a fresh set of clothes and her shiny Pikachu walking by her side. She was tempted to let all of her Pokemon out, but put it off in favor of just getting the heck out of there. It tore her heart out to leave her mother and even her cellmate behind, but knew there was nothing she could do about that.

After taking a moment to breathe in the fresh air and bask in the autumn sun, Julia headed off. Where to go from here, though? Well, probably the Pokemon Center. She wanted to call her father and tell him what had happened, plus it would be a good place to find anyone else. She had made it only a dozen steps away from the station, when she spotted two people barreling towards her.

"Jule!"

You're out!"

The autistic girl found herself being ambushed by a hug from both of her friends. This might normally be uncomfortable for her, especially with her arms being pinned by both so that she could barely reciprocate. Yet she couldn't help but smile and try to return it as best as she was able. Things had worked out, and it was understandable they were this overjoyed about it.

"I didn't believe it, but you're really out!" Caiseal grinned. Especially after spotting a despondent-looking Nori yesterday who refused to speak to them, he expected the worst. He was prepared for it from the beginning. But as far as he thought it, this was the best scenario.

"I..." a sniveling Perrine started, before correcting herself. "We never thought we'd see you again. We're happy...we're really happy you made it out..."

"Thanks guys..." she sheepishly replied, unable to think of anything else to say.

Her friends retracted simultaneously, but Caiseal had a look of concern on his face. "Is something wrong, Jule? You really don't sound all that happy."

Perrine didn't notice it immediately, but when the blonde boy mentioned it, "Yeah!" she nodded in agreement. "I was expecting you'd be thrilled to get out of there!"

"It's just that..." Julia said, pausing for a moment. "I kind of feel I shouldn't be out here. I mean, I did cause some people and Pokemon to lose their lives." There was no denying that. "And, I also know that not everyone is going to be happy that I was let go."

Perrine's jaw dropped. "Wait, don't tell me you're thinking of going back in there?" she frantically asked. "You can't!"

The reaction took Julia by surprise. "What? Of course not!" she clarified, quickly shaking her head. "I don't want to waste this chance I've been given, either. That's why I'm really going to work towards becoming someone who helps Pokemon from now on!" It was really the only thing she felt she could do to make it up. Julia still felt she had a debt to repay to society, but was going to do it by helping and not serving a punishment. "I know I failed Geraldine. I hope she's happy up in heaven." She paused for a moment. It was still a fresh wound in her mind. It might be for a while. She knew in her heart that she would always grieve for the red Gyarados. Still, her determination came shining through once more. "But I'm not going to let anything like that happen ever again to any Pokemon if I can help it!" she declared, before shaking her head and correcting herself. "No, I'm gonna start right now. If Nori can do it, I can too!"

"Whoa, whoa, where's this coming from?" the blonde boy asked, surprised by this sudden burst of energy from her. "You're not just choosing what you want to do in life because you feel bad about what happened, are you?"

"Caiseal!" Perrine yelled at him. "If she wants to do this, then she should be able to!"

"No, it's okay," Julia raised her hand, understanding why Caiseal might be worried. "It's not a decision I made because of what happened. I've always wanted to do this. It's just now I want to more than ever!"

"That's good." With this clarification he breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to see a bad experience dictate the kind of person his friend would become.

Julia looked around. She saw many people around the station, but there was one person in particular she wanted to see. No matter where she looked though, she couldn't find him. "Hey. Is...Nori around?" she asked.

The orange-haired girl shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't seen him today. He seemed really beat up about something yesterday, though."

"Didn't he say something about being here on a trip?" Caiseal added. "I think he might've gone back home."

"Oh right!" Perrine had nearly forgotten about that. "He did say that. So he might not be here anymore."

Julia sighed. "Oh well..." If he really had left, then there wasn't much she could do about it. Still, she had to say to her friends who were present. "Nori really did come through for me. I don't even want to imagine what things would be like if it weren't for him." She shuddered at the thought. Everything she had been told about juvenile hall made it seem like the last place she wanted to be. Just being stuck in a holding cell was bad enough.

Perrine put an arm on her friend, reassuring her. "You don't have to think about it. You're out now, Julia!"

Maybe she was. Maybe it wasn't the best of circumstances, either. But Perrine wasn't saying untrue things. "You're right," she said. "And it's thanks to him."

For the briefest of all moments, all the kids were grinning. Things had worked out. They were going to be able to travel together again! However, soon after that moment of euphoria, a realization hit Julia, causing her face to cloud over. "Oh, yeah. I need to do that...public apology thing. In front of lots of people."

"I guess I should've figured they wouldn't let you off the hook completely," Caiseal said with a small sigh. "When do you have to do it?"

"In two days." Julia sighed heavily, speaking her fears and worries aloud. Hikaru patted her on the leg, but it didn't help ease them any. "I'll probably die just from seeing them stare at me with their angry looks." She had enough trouble putting her thoughts into words, let alone in coherent sentences. Even with doing this being way better than prison ever could be and if given the choice a hundred times would've taken the apology every time, she had no idea what she was going to say or how she would handle it.

"Well, just remember that we'll be here for you, Jule!" Perrine declared, Caiseal nodding in concurrent at it. "Whether you need any help with it or just support, we'll be with you the whole way through this!"

Julia smiled faintly. She knew there were those who would give her their unconditional support, but hearing it directly had a calming effect on her. "Thanks."

The blonde boy spoke up, "So, what do you say we head to the park?" he asked. "We never did get to go to it."

Julia nodded. "Sure, that sounds good to me! I'd love to get some real exercise after being in there!" The most she was able to do was walk around her small cell, which was hardly adequate. "I'm sure all my Pokemon would too!" Hikaru by her side squealed at this sentiment.

"And after that you gotta come see this Unovan diner!" Perrine told her friend with a grin. "It's great, and the guy who runs it is really nice. He supported you a bunch and helped Nori, so I'm sure he'd love to meet you!"

Julia was a bit uncertain about this. She'd never tried Unovan food before, so she wasn't sure if she'd like it. In fact, that's why she didn't go when they were initially considering it. But if the owner was on her side throughout her ordeal, she figured it would be polite to at least go see him, even if she didn't end up eating anything. "I guess I could try." It couldn't be worse than the prison food, at least.

Perrine fistpumped, barely able to contain her excitement. "All right, let's go!"

With this proclamation the kids set off on their way. Julia never in a million years thought they would be able to travel like this again, but here they were doing it. All because of one really great person. "A Pokemon rehabilitator..."

Caiseal stopped and turned around. "Huh? Did you say something, Jule?"

The brown-haired girl blinked. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about things." She didn't mean to do that. She was just thinking and said it out loud without even realizing. "Come on, let's go!" She ran ahead of her friends with Hikaru, causing them to laugh and try to keep up.

Still even as she moved onward to new adventures, Julia couldn't help but think about what happened. If it wasn't for him, she probably wouldn't have been let go even with everyone else's support. She had her doubts that he could do it, but he did it. She wished he was here so she could say thank you in person to him. Well, it couldn't be helped, no matter how much she wanted it. Maybe she could find some other way of letting him know.

Most of all seeing someone as young as Nori accomplish so much gave her confidence that she could do the same. He said he was someone who helped people and Pokemon alike. A Pokemon rehabilitator. Maybe she could...

* * *

In the skies high above the land, Nori sat with a mixture of impatience and unease. He never liked any mode of transportation that didn't involve staying on the ground. Nor did he like remaining still for an extended period of time. He had the room here to stretch and move his legs, but that didn't help much. Well, at least it wasn't sailing - being able to move around on a boat or not, he liked that even less. Plus, you get a completely different view of the world up here. It was hard to look away from the sights below, the scope seemingly endless. Even huge trees were like ants from up here. He could be optimistic about this at least.

With a brief glance back into the interior itself, he was reminded of how out-of-place he was. Sure, he put up with it on the trip here and the last few hours, yet he still couldn't get over it. Everywhere he looked there were people who were over twice, and many thrice his age. Several of these indeed looked to be traveling on business, though there was the odd outlier. He heard a screaming child at one point, so there was at least one family in here. None of them were near him, however. His next seat neighbor, a balding man in a fine black three-piece suit, was completely engrossed with his laptop. He had no interest in idle chat, let alone with "some random kid". That left Nori to the sights outside the window. Though given the advantages over economy, he couldn't complain about this setup either.

Fortunately, he would only have to put up with it for only a little while longer - the familiar sight of his hometown came into view, and even from up here he would recognize it. It was surrounded by forests and hills on all but one side. The city itself was hilly to full-on rugged. Quite a few houses and buildings were constructed on higher terrain, up to and including the surrounding mountains. And unlike Johto or its neighbor, its name had nothing to do with how its buildings were constructed. It would be absurd to make a building from rocks, anyway...

"Good afternoon, passengers," came the voice of the captain over the plane's intercom. "We are nearing our final approach. We ask that you return to your seats and remain there as we come in for landing."

Already done. That wasn't an issue. In what felt like no time at all, the plane touched down. He was finally able to stand up, wasting no time in grabbing his belongings from the compartment above him and getting out of here ahead of everyone else. He didn't care he was getting a few odd looks from his rush. It was great to be back home, and he hoped he didn't have to leave again anytime soon.

As he stepped out into the airport lobby, he was met with a surprise. Someone had actually been waiting for him, a bigger surprise by the fact that he didn't say a word as to when he was returning. Then again given who it was, it wasn't that big a surprise. She always seemed to be there for him, after all. Including in moments like that gym battle.

Nori was actually surprised at her casual outfit. She had on long socks, a light blue skirt that reached her knees, and a frilly white shirt with an unbuttoned blue and white fleece coat overtop. If not for her face and the Pokemon she held, he might not have recognized her immediately. She held a small white squirrel with yellow cheeks and a blue stripe running down its body. On seeing Nori, the Pokemon jumped from her arms and came running over to the young official. Before he could protest, it climbed up his leg and onto his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.

He had to leave his Pachirisu behind due to sickness, but it was back to its usual self. The outlier among his Pokemon in more ways than one. "Glad to see you've gotten better, at least..." Nori awkwardly remarked, picking it up and placing it down beside him. The girl softly giggled at this display, walking over to her friend with folded hands.

"Welcome back, Nori," she greeted with the smallest of bows.

"Thanks," he replied with a nod. "But what are you doing here?"

"I just thought to greet you here," she explained, adjusting her shoulder length green hair. "That's all."

Nori shrugged. "Well, it is good to see you," he admitted. The trip was nice, but he'd missed things here in Veilstone City. Though didn't want to say it outwardly right now, since being flustered once by his Pokemon was enough.

Suddenly, she looked away slightly. "Sorry again that I couldn't accompany you," she apologized with a mixture of remorse and disappointment. Nori didn't get why she felt this way, he understood why she couldn't. Seeing his expression conveying this caused her to smile a bit and ask, "Did you still have fun on your own?"

On this question Nori hesitated. This was certainly going to be one crazy story to tell. "Well, about that..." he started, noting his friend's aqua blue eyes sparkling with interest. She certainly could read him and tell it wasn't bad. "It's a long story, Prema." The girl's expression remained unchanged, as if to tell him to continue. The young official nodded. It would be nice to get it off his chest anyway. He motioned to his friend and his Pachirisu to follow him out of the lobby.

"So a lot of things happened in Johto..." And so as they set out, he got into recounting his adventure.

* * *

Interesting bit: didn't intend to end the scene with Julia with those implications. But when it lined up unintentionally and on thinking of how things should turn out from there, I figured it could work.

With Nori, I wanted to create a character who could fit the MarJour universe, yet also contrast with its characters in some ways. While also giving him enough material to continue writing about him should the urge arise. Which it kinda is, since writing this was fun. Probably would focus on his past if so, at least at first.

So yeah. This short little alternate story is complete!


End file.
